Soda's Little Princess
by Greaserfreak
Summary: Brianna is five now and will be starting kindergarten a few chapters into the story. This is the first story in the series that will have Brianna's POV included.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The third story in the series about Soda and his daughter, Brianna. Brianna is five now and is going to be starting kindergarten a few chapters into the story. This is also the first story in the series that will have Brianna's POV included.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders.

Soda's POV

I closed the box I had been packing and looked around the room I had shared with my younger brother, Ponyboy, since our parents died seven years ago. It had seemed empty enough with Pony away at college, but now with my things packed into boxes, it seemed even more empty. Only the things Pony had left behind remained. My stuff would be unpacked later in an apartment a few blocks away.

"The room looks empy," My older brother, Darry commented as he stepped inside the room. "The house is going to be quiet without you and Brianna here."

"Ponyboy will be home for summer break in a week," I reminded him.

Darry sighed. "Yeah, but it still won't be the same. We've lived here all of our lives."

I grinned. "Well, now you finally get the house to yourself. I'm going to check on Brianna."

Brianna had just turned five two months ago. Her dark gold hair was half way down her back and her brown eyes usually sparkled happily. She's a cute little girl with a sweet personality and I couldn't have asked for a better daughter.

"Hey sweetie," I said as I entered her room. Boxes were also piled in her room, waiting to be taken to the apartment. Only a few toys were left out for her to play with.

"Hi daddy," Brianna said softly. She had been staying in her room a lot lately. Ever since I said we were moving, she had played in her room more than out in the living room. She was also quieter than usual.

I sat down next to her on the floor. "Uncle Darry is going to start puuting our thigs in the truck soon."

"Okay," Brianna whispered.

"Tonight, we'll be in our new apartment," I told her. "You'll have a new room to sleep in and maybe there will be some kids in the building who you can play with."

Brianna hugged her teddy bear to her chest and looked at the floor.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" I asked putting my arm around her and pulling her close to me.

Brianna's POV

Daddy was happy about moving to the apartment. He had spent a long time putting things into boxes and he had bought a couch a few other things at a thrift store. Everything was about the new apartment.

But I didn't want to move. I wanted to stay where we were. I was happy in the house with daddy and uncle Darry.

"Brianna?" Daddy asked. I could smell the soap he had used that morning and felt the softness of his shirt against my cheek. "Honey, tell me what's bothering you."

"I don't want to move," I cried. Tears ran down my face as I cried into daddy's shirt. "I like it here."

Daddy pulled me onto his lap and held me. "Brianna, you'll still come here a lot. It's not like you'll never come here again."

"All my stuff will be at the apartment," I said. "This won't be my room anymore."

"This will always be your room," Daddy told me. "Uncle Darry would love to have you stay over night sometimes."

"He would?" I asked, looking up at daddy's kind face.

Daddy smiled. "Of course he would. And I'm sure uncle Pony would like that, too. He's coming back next week for the summer."

"Next week?" I repeated.

"That's right," Daddy told me.

"How many days is that?" I asked.

"I think that's seven days," Daddy said. "He's looking forward to seing the apartment. I told him he could stay with us for part of the summer, too."

"Will uncle Darry come to the apartment?" I asked.

"I'll come every day unless you're coming here." I turned to see my uncle Darry leaning in the doorway, his hands in his pockets.

Darry's POV

I had been listening to the whole conversation between Soda and Brianna. It didn't surprise me that Brianna was upset about the move. But what she didn't know was Soda was having a lot of the same feelings she was having.

Despite the excitement of having his own place, Soda also had mixed feelings about moving. After all, this was the only home he knew. Like Brianna, this was also his first time moving away even if it was just a few blocks.

"Are you ready to start loading the truck?" Soda asked me.

"I'm ready if you are, little buddy." I replied.

Soda looked at Brianna. "Do you want to help us or do you want to play some more?"

"I want to help," Brianna answered standing up. She still didn't seem happy about moving, but she didn't seem as upset about it either.

Steve's POV

I arrived at Soda's apartment in time to help him and Darry set up the furniture. There were boxes everywhere waiting to be unpacked.

"Come see my room," Brianna said as soon as she let me in. She took my hand and led me down the short hallway to her room. It was pretty much empty except for the pile of boxes and the frame for her bed laying in the middle of the room. The blinds on her window were open and when I looked outside, I could see the small yard that the building had.

"Well, I see Brianna's already giving you the tour," Soda joked coming into the room. "Since you're here, you can help set her bed up."

"No problem," I said. I noticed that Darry was already moving the bedframe so the head of the be was against the wall. Soon, Brianna's bed was set up and made so that she could sleep in it later.

"So Steve," Soda said when we finished with Brianna's bed, "what do you think of the apartment?"

I smiled as I put my hands on Brianna's shoulders. "I think it's great, Soda. I couldn't have asked for a better neighbor."

My own apartment was kiddy corner from Soda's. WHich meant we'd be seeing a lot of each other especially since we also owned the DX station. Yes, the same gas station that we started working at as teens was now ours. And with a few changes and a new garage, the station was busier than ever. Which was why Soda was able to afford an apartment.

"It is a nice apartment, Soda," Darry commented. "And it's just the right size for you and Brianna."

Soda grinned and looked at Brianna. "I think it's time to start unpacking these boxes. Or at least some of our clothes so we can have something to wear."

Darry left shortly after that, but I stayed to help Soda unpack. "How is Brianna handling the move?"

"She finally admitted that she didn't want to leave the house," Soda replied. "I knew that moving was upsetting her but she would go in her room to play instead of telling me what was bothering her."

"She seems okay now," I commented.

Soda nodded. "I think she's still having a hard time with it. Thehouse was the only home she's known. It's the only home I've known."

"I guess this is a first for both of you," I commented as I sat down on the couch that Soda had got at the thrift store a few days earlier.

Soda'a POV

I sat down next to Steve. It was probably the first time I'd sat down since arriving at the apartment. Darry and I spent the whole day moving in boxes and getting everything set up. Brianna ended up spending a few hours with Two-Bit so Darry and I could focus on getting stuff from the house to the apartment.

"I remember when Pony first went away to college," I said. "He left with Darry in the truck and looked out the window with a look of loss on his face."

"Speaking of Ponyboy," Steve interupted, "Isn't he coming home soon?"

I nodded. "He'll be back next week. I guess that's something I've learned from him. Even though we're moving, we can always return home."

"Unless Darry ever decides to move," Steve said.

"He won't," I replied. "Darry has plans for that house."

"Like what?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I do know that he's been wanting to fix up the attic and make the house a two story home instead of the small one story home that it is now," I told him.

"Sounds like a big project," Steve commented.

"A project that darry will enjoy working on," I added as Brianna entered the room. "Hey Brianna, are you ready for bed?"

Brianna shrugged. "I don't think I can sleep in there."

"It might seem strange at first," I told her. "But you will get used to it. Both of us will."

I stood up and took Brianna to her new room to put her to bed for the first time in our new apartment. It was going to take a few days for both of us to get used to the apartment. But I knew that moving was a good decision. After all, I couldn't live with darry my whole life, he probably wanted to get married someday and start a family of his own. So, like Pony, I was making a move out on my own. Only, I had a five year old daughter to join me in the move.


	2. Getting Pony from college

Darry's POV

The house was quiet without Soda and Brianna. There was no longer the sound of Brianna playing or the television being on when I got home from work; there was only silence. Something I wasn't used to after years of having three guys constantly making noise while Pony tried to read a book on the couch until he finally would go to the bedroom to read.

A week after Soda and Brianna moved out, I went to their apartment in the morning before I knew Soda had to leave for work.

"Uncle Darry!" Brianna shrieked when she opened the door.

"Hey kiddo," I said, stepping inside the apartment.

"Daddy, Uncle Darry's here!" Brianna yelled as she ran into the small kitchen.

I laughed to myself as I sat down on the couch. This wasn't the first time I'd stopped by the apartment; but with Brianna's reaction, you would never know it.

"Hey Darry, I thought you were going to go get Ponyboy today," Soda said, coming out of the kitchen. He was ready for work except for his shoes which were by the door.

"I am," I told him. "I was wondering if Brianna would like to come with."

Soda smiled at the idea. "Brianna, do you want to go with Uncle Darry to pick up Uncle Pony from school?"

Brianna appeared from the kitchen. "Can I?"

"I don't see why not," Soda told her. "I'll just call Mrs. Mathews and let her know she doesn't need to watch you today."

"When were you planning on going?" Soda asked after he called Two-Bit's mother.

"Well, sincwe it's a three hour drive, I think we'll have to leave soon," I replied.

Soda looked over at Brianna. "Let's get a few toys and a few books for you to look at. You might get bored if you just sit in the truck all day with nothing to do."

Together, they went to her bedroom and returned a minute or two later with a backpack full of things to keep Brianna entertained.

"I should go to Steve's," Soda said. "We have to open the station in an hour."

I stood up. "Brianna and I should get going anyway."

Soda gave Brianna a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Be good for Uncle Darry and Uncle Pony."

"I will," Brianna told him before following me outside to the truck.

"So, are you excited to see Uncle Ponyboy?" I asked.

"Yup!" Brianna replied.

Brianna's POV

Daddy and I had been counting the days until Uncle Ponyboy would come home all week. It was daddy's idea, but I got to put a red X on each day until we reached the blue X that daddy had put on the calendar. Today had the blue X which meant that Uncle Pony was coming home today.

"Are you enjoyng the apartment?" Uncle Darry asked me.

"Yeah," I said. "But I still miss the house."

Uncle Darry looked at me. "I miss having you and Soda there."

Then why did we move?" I asked.

"Honey, moving is a part of life. It's scary at first, but over time, you get used to it," Uncle Darry told me.

"Did you ever move?" I asked.

Uncle Darry nodded. "I was younger than you and don't remember much about it, except thinking that my toys were gone forever."

"Was daddy there?"

"Oh no, Soda wasn't even born yet," Uncle Darry replied. "I think mom was pregnant with him at the time."

I looked at a few picture books after that, wishing that I could read them. Daddy says I'm smart because I can say my ABCs, but I don't know how to read yet.

Ponyboy's POV

It was almost noon when Darry's truck pulled into the parking lot of my dorm. I had been sitting in the lounge, but when I saw the truck, I went outside to greet him.

"Hey Darry," I called as I crossed the prking lot.

Darry grinned at me and the passenger side door opened. "Uncle Pony!"

I soon found myself picking up my niece and swinging her around in circles before setting her down again. I looked at Brianna. "You're getting so big! What is Soda feeding you?"

Darry laughed. "She's actually small for her age. Are you ready to start loading the truck?"

"Yeah, all my things are in the dorm room waiting to go," I replied. I looked down at Brianna, again. "I hear you and Soda have an apartment now."

Brianna nodded as she took my hand.

"Do you like it?" I asked her.

"It's not the house," Brianna told me.

"She's been having a hard time with the move," Darry whispered to me. "Soda says she's slowly getting used to the apartment, but still keeps to herself a lot."

Brianna?" I whispered back. "But she's usually very talkative."

Darry smiled at Brianna as we walked inside the building. "And she still is. She just doesn't like talking about the move."

We went upstairs to my dorm room. When I opened the door, Brianna walked inside and looked around. It was the first time that she had seen my dorm room. It was probably also the first time she had been outside of Tulsa since Sandy left her with Soda.

"Uncle Pony, your bed is smaller than mine," Brianna told me. She sat down on it and it squeaked which was something I was used to. "It squeaks, too."

"Let's take these boxes to the truck and go get some lunch," Darry said, picking up two boxes and walking back out the door with them. I handed Brianna a small box that I was sure she could carry before picking one up myself. After about ten or fifteen minutes, all my stuff was in the back of the truck.

"Pony, are you leaving?" Patsy Lewis asked walking up to me. Her name is actually Patricia, but she prefers to be called Patsy. She's very pretty with her light blond hair and sky blue eyes. Her nose turns up slightly with a few freckles sprinkled across it.

I nodded. "Yeah, Darry has to be home by tonight because he had to work tomorrow morning."

Patsy smiled and crouched down so she could be at eye level with Brianna. "And you must be Brianna. Pony talks about you a lot."

I smiled, too. "Yes, I do. Darry and Brianna, this is my friend, Patsy. We had a few courses together."

"Hi, Pony's told me a lot about you, too," Patsy said, shaking Darry's hand. "He talks about Soda, too."

"Soda had to work today," Darry told her. "Maybe you'll get to meet him, too someday."

Patsy gave a light laugh. "I'm sure I will. Well, I'll let you go. I'll see you later, Pony."

Patsy gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek before walking back to where her own family was waiting.

Darry's POV

"She seems nice," I commented to Ponyboy.

"She is," Pony replied opening the passenger side door of the truck and waiting for Brianna to get in before getting in himself. "Patsy's one of the nicest girls on campus."

I looked at him carefully as I also got into the truck. Pony had dated a few girls over the past couple of years, but he never looked as happy about any of them as he did about Patsy. I wantesd to ask if he was seeing her, but decided that he'd tell me and Soda if he was and when he was ready.

"I'm hungry!" Brianna announced.

"There's a Dairy Queen not far from here," Pony told me. "We can stop there for lunch and maybe have an ice cream cone for dessert."

He gave me directions to Dairy Queen as I drove. Soon, we were all eating lunch and for dessert, Brianna got a chocolate ice cream cone which melted faster than she could eat it. When we finished, we got back in the truck and Pony drove the three hours home.


	3. Ponyboy is home

Soda's POV

I was awakened by someone knocking at the door. I had fallen asleep on the couch shortly after I got home from work. Now, I was yawning and rubbing my eyes as I went to answer the door.

"Uncle Pony bought me an ice cream cone," Brianna told me as soon as I opened the door. She grabbed Ponyboy's hand and pulled him into the apartment. "Come see my room, Uncle Pony."

"Welcome home, Pony," I said and got a grin in return. I turned to Darry. "How was Brianna?"

"She was good the entire time," Darry replied as we followed Brianna and Ponyboy to Brianna's room.

"I wish I had been here last week to help you two move," Pony said to me. "It seems like I miss out on everything when I'm at coolege."

I knew what he meant. He missed birthdays, helping us move, and he would be missing Brianna's first day of kindergarten in September because he would already be back at college by then. Hedoes wrtie to us often, but it is never the same as having him at home. When he is home, Darry and I try to make the most of it. After all, we only see hime a few months out of the year.

"Daddy hung up new curtains on my window," Brianna told Ponyboy as she pointed at the window.

"This is a nice room, Brianna," Pony told her as he sat on her bed. "But I'll bet you miss your old room, don't you?"

Brianna turned and nodded her head.

Brianna's POV

Uncle Pony patted the bed next to where he was sitting. "Come sit next to me, Brianna."

I walked over to the bed and sat down while daddy and Uncle Darry left the room.

"I hear you've been having a hard time with the move," Uncle Pony said. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

I just looked at my hands. I didn't want to talk about the move.

"Brianna, it's okay to sad and angry about moving," Uncle Pony said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "And it's okay to miss your old room. I still miss my room every time I go to school. I miss everything about being here in Tulsa."

I looked up at Uncle Pony. "But, you're away at school a lot."

"So? I still miss it here. My family is here," Uncle Pony told me. "Tell me what's wrong, Brianna. Why are you upset?"

Uncle Pony waited for me to answer, just like daddy did. But, I didn't want to talk about it.

"It's not just about moving, is it?" Uncle Pony asked softly. "There's something else that's bothering you."

"Daddy's been working a lot," I whispered.

"But his job helped him to get this nice apartment," Uncle Pony told me.

"I know," I said as I started to cry. "But, I want daddy to be here and to play with me like he did at the house. I don't want him to work all the time."

Soda's POV

I was about to walk back into Brianna's room to see if Ponyboy wanted to go to Steve's for a few minutes to say hello when I heard the last part of their conversation. For the past couple of week, I just thought that Brianna was upset about the move. But hearing that she thought I spent more time at work than with her made me feel awful. I had been working more hours lately because we were short handed at the station, but I didn't realize the effect that it was having on Brianna.

I quietly walked into her room and sat on her bed with her and Ponyboy. Tears started to roll down my own cheeks as I put my arm around Brianna and pulled her close to me. "I'm sorry I haven't been home much, Brianna."

"You always work," Brianna told me. "You don't play with me like you used to."

"Honey, if something's bothering you, you have to tell me so we can figure out how to make things better," I told Brianna. "I can't know if something is bothering you if you don't tell me."

POnyboy's POV

I got up and left Brianna's room then, knowing that Soda probably wanted to be alone with her for a minute. As soon as I got to the living rooom, there was a knock at the door. Darry motioned for me to answer it.

"Ponyboy!" Steve said, giving me a quick hug when I opened the door. If he had hugged me five years ago, I would have wondered if he was sick. But now it didn't seem so strange. I actually sort of missed him. I missed Two-Bit, too. "It's good to see you home. Do you have any girlfriends yet?"

I could feel DArry's eyes looking at me and knew that Soda was now in the room looking at me, too, because Brianna was now hugging Steve.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend," I sighed. "Her name is Patsy. Darry and Brianna met her briefly today when they came to get me today."

"She's pretty," Brianna spoke up.

I smiled down at Brianna. "I'm glad you think so, Brianna. I think she's pretty, too."

"So Darry," Soda said, sitting on the couch next to Darry. "does this girl seem good enough for our younger brother?"

"She seems like a really nice girl," Darry replied.

"When do we get to meet her?" Steve asked with a wink.

"She's going to try to be here for my birthday," I answered. "I guess she has an aunt who lives in Wichita and she'll be driving through Tulsa on her way to visit her."

"Where does Patsy live?" Darry asked.

"Patsy lives in San Antonio," I replied as I sat down on the floor. Soda didn't have furniture in the living room except for the couch and Steve had already sat on it, taking up the third cushion. When we were kids, all of us would have been able to sit on the couch comfortably, but not anymore.

"Unlce Pony," Brianna sat down next to me on the floor and handed me a book "will you read this to me?"

"Of course I will," I told her.

"Brianna can say the alphabet now," Soda told me.

I grinned at Brianna. "Well, if you can say the alphabet, you can learn how to read."

Brianna looked at me. "I can?"

I nodded. By the end of the summer, you'll be reading one of your books to me. I'll help you."

"Now?" Brianna asked me.

I laughed. "If you want. I have nothing else planned for tonight."


	4. A Day With Uncle Pony

Darry's POV

"How did you sleep last night?" I asked Ponyboy the next morning. We were both at the kitchen table eating breakfast.

"I slept fine," Ponyboy replied. He looked around as he took a drink of his chocolate milk. "Gosh, it's quiet here now. I never thought I'd see this place so quiet."

"I used to wish for a quiet home so I could read the paper or watch the television without having to hear ten other things going on around me," I commented. "Now, I can't concentrate on reading or watching something on television because the silence is just as bad."

Ponyboy grinned at me. "You're used to having Brianna running around, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "It's just not the same without her and Soda here. But, I'm glad Soda wants to live on his own now. With Brianna, of course."

"I thought I'd take Brianna to the park today," Ponyboy told me. "Soda thinks she'll like to spend some time with me since I've been away."

I nodded as I stood up. "Well, if you want, I'll let you have the truck today. I just need you to drop me off at work and pick me up at five when I get off."

Ponyboy stood up, too and caught the keys that I tossed in his direction. He followed me outside to the truck and got in the drivers seat where he carefully put it into gear and backed it out of the driveway.

Ponyboy's POV

An hour later I was at Soda's apartment watching Brianna run around from where I safely sat on the couch. Brianna had been running in circles since I arrived and Soda was busy getting ready for work.

"Hey, save some of that energy for the park!" I told Brianna with an amused grin.

"Pony, she has enough energy to last the whole day like that," Soda said coming into the living room. "You're going to be exhausted tonight if you're not used to it."

I laughed. "I'm sure I can handle it, Soda. After all, I grew up with you, didn't I?"

Soda grinned and grabbed Brianna as she was about to run past again. "Yeah, you did. Brianna, are you going to be good for Uncle Pony?"

Brianna nodded.

"Okay, well I'm going to go to Steve's and see if he's ready to go to work," Soda said as he opened the door to the apartment. "I left an extra key to the apartment on the kitchen table. I figured you and Darry coulduse it since I don't think Brianna's old enough to have her own key, yet."

Soda left then, leaving me to watch Hurricane Brianna run around the apartment some more.

"Hey Brianna," I said as she ran past me.

"What?" She asked without stopping.

"I saw your room yesterday. But I haven't seen the rest of the apartment," I told her. "Would you like to show me around?"

"Follow me," Brianna replied. She led me to a bedroom at the end of the short hallway. "This is where daddy sleeps."

Soda's room was a little bigger than the one we had shared. And it was very plain with white walls and blinds on the windows. Next, I was led to the bathroom, followed by the small kitchen.

"Does Two-Bit still watch you when Soda's at work?" I asked Brianna once she finished showing me the apartment. Two-Bit was the only one of the gang that I hadn't seen yet.

"Two-Bit works at Tastee Freeeze," Brianna replied. "His mom watches me."

"Do you likeTwo-Bit's mom?" I asked, remembering how she used to watch Brianna when she was a baby.

Brianna nodded. "But I like Two-Bit better. He makes up fun games to play."

"Speaking of playing," I said slowly. "I think it's time to go to the park."

"Can we go on the swings?" Brianna asked. She put on her shoes and waited for me to tie them.

"We can do that," I told her. I tied her shoes and held the door open for her before locking it behind us. Brianna took my hand and skipped down the hall and outside to the truck.

Brianna's POV

I like the park, it's the only place where I can play on swings or slide down a slide. I want my own swing set, but daddy says it costs a lot of money. He said that maybe someday I could have one. But I don't want to wait for someday. I want my own swing set now. Waiting is no fun.

"Well, what do you want to do first?" Uncle Pony asked me.

I stood by the truck, looking at the different things I could play on. "I think I'll go on the swings."

Uncle Pony smiled at me. "That's a good idea. Do you want me to push you?"

I shook my head. "No, I can go really high by myself. I bet I can swing higher than you."

"Is that a challenge?" Uncle Pony asked as we walked to the swings. "Because if it is, I'm an old pro at the swings."

We got on the swings and I started pumping my legs so the swing would go up really high. Uncle Pony did the same thing on his swing. Soon, we were both swinging so high that it felt like we were flying.

"Did you have a swing set when you were little?" I asked as I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"Oh no, not unless you count the tire swing that my father put up in the back yard," Uncle Pony told me. "We never had enough money for a swing set."

"Daddy says he doesn't have money for a swing set," I told him.

"Where would you put a swing set?" Uncle Pony asked. "There's no place for you to have one at the apartment. Unless Darry would let you have it at his house."

We swung some more and then I went down the slide a few times until Uncle Pony asked if I wanted to take a walk around the park. So we did that and Uncle Pony talked.

"Does Soda take you here?" He asked.

I nodded. "Sometimes he gives me a penny to throw into the fountain."

"I used to throw pennies into the fountain, too," Uncle Pony said. "Now, I can barely look at it."

"Why?" I asked.

Uncle Pony sighed and looked sadly towards where the fountain was. "Maybe I'll tell you when you're older."

Why do grown ups always like saying that? It seems like I have to wait till I'm older for a lot of things.

"Uncle Darry takes me here sometimes," I said. "He helps me swing across the monkey bars."

"What about Two-Bit and Steve?" Uncle Pony asked.

"Two-Bit plays on the swings with me like you did," I answered. "Steve likes to bring a football or a baseball with and we'll play catch."

"Wow, I really do miss a lot when I'm at college," Uncle Pony said.

"Uncle Pony?" I asked.

"Yes?" Uncle Pony asked.

"Is it time for lunch yet? I'm getting hungry," I said.

"I'm getting hungry, too," Uncle Pony told me. "Do you know if Two-Bit's working today?"

I shrugged.

"Well, lets go to the Tastee Freeze anyway," Uncle Pony said.

We walked back to the truck and got inside.

Two-Bit's POV

I was filling ketchup bottles when my boss came up to me. "You have some customers at table eight. They asked for you."

"Really?" I asked trying to figure out who would be there to see me. I knew Darry, Soda and Steve were working. But when I walked out onto the dining room, I saw who was there and grinned as I walked up to the table. "Ponyboy! When did you get back?"

"Yesterday," Ponyboy replied. "You're the only one I haven't seen yet."

"Uncle Pony has a girlfriend," Brianna announced and I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, her name is Patsy," Pony said with a smile. "She'll be here in town for my birthday."

I nodded. "So, what have the two of you been doing?"

I motioned at Brianna who replied, "We went to the park."

"That sounds like fun," I said. "I cleaned up some soda that someone spilled. Then, I took some orders. I was filling ketchup bottles when you came."

"Sounds exciting," Pony said. "Well, I think I'll have a burger and fries."

"What about you?" I asked Brianna. "Do you want a burger, too?"

Brianna nodded.

"She can share my fries," Pony told me. "I don't know if she'd be able to eat an order of her own fries."

I nodded. "Pepsies with those?"

"Yeah," Ponyboy said with a nod.

"Your food should be up shortly," I said. "I'll get your drinks now while you wait."

I got them their drinks and went back to filling ketchup bottles until their food was ready. Brianna was drawing on a place mat. Actually, Pony was drawing, too. Not that I was surprised. Ponyboy was always drawing or reading when he was home. And Brianna gets bored if she doesn't have anything to do.

"Where are you staying?" I asked Ponyboy once I gave them their food.

"Right now I'm staying with Darry," Pony replied. "But for the second half of summer break, I'll be staying with Soda."

"Do you still like movies?" I asked.

"Since when have I not liked movies?" Pony asked in return.

"There's a movie playing at the Nightly Double tonight," I said. "I thought that maybe you'd like to go see it. Maybe we'll see Bryon there or even Curly. Curly just got out of the cooler not too long ago."

"It's nice to know some things never change," Pony joked. "What about Tim? I'll bet his son is getting big."

I nodded. "And he's definately a Shephard. He looks just like Tim and acts like him, too."

"Uncle Pony, could you put some ketcheup on my burger?" Brianna asked.

Ponyboy poured a little ketchup on her burger. "Do you want mustard, too?"

"She doesn't like mustard," I said. "She only likes ketchup."

Brianna smiled at me and nodded as she took a fry from Pony's plate and put it in her mouth.

"You should go back to work," Pony told me. "I should still be at Soda's later. Stop by when you're done and we'll decide what to do later."

"Sure," I said. "I'll see you both later."

I went back to work, taking another order and making sure the napkins were stocked. I was looking forward to spending some time with Ponyboy. It was always nice to see him when he was home from colloege.


	5. Getting jumped at the drivein

Soda's POV

"Did you and Uncle Pony have fun today?" I asked Brianna later that afternoon when I got home from work. The two of them were sitting on the floor playing Chutes and Ladders. It was Brianna's favorite game, even though she just likes having her piece slide down the chute.

"Yeah," Pony replied. "We went to the park for awhile and then we stopped by the Tastee Freeze for lunch to see Two-Bit."

"Two-Bit's coming over for dinner," Brianna spoke up.

"He wants to go see a movie tonight at the Nightly Double," Ponyboy said.

"Why don't we all go," I suggested. "Brianna hasn't gone to the nightly Double yet. I think she'll like it."

"Is that like where Steve took me to see Mary Poppins?" Brianna asked. Steve had taken her to the movie house a few weeks earlier to see the movie.

"Sort of," I replied. "Except you watch the movie while sitting in your car."

"I'm surprised that you want to go, Soda," Pony said. "You never liked going to the movies."

I sat down on the couch and grinned. "True, but I want to go. Besides, I don't think Two-Bit would mind."

Brianna's POV

While daddy and Uncle Pony were talking someone knocked on the door. I stood up and ran to answer it. Uncle Darry and Steve both walked into the apartment when I opened the door.

"Hey Brianna," Steve said leaning down for a hug. 'Did you have a good time today?"

I nodded. "And tonight I get to watch a movie."

Daddy nodded. "Yeah, we're going to the Nightly Double tonight. Two-Bit asked Pony to go but I thought we should all go."

Steve grinned down at me. "Well, aren't you lucky. You'll like it there."

"Are you coming with us?" I asked Steve.

He shook his head. "I have to do some stuff for work tonight. But I'll go with next time, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed Then I looked at Uncle Darry. "Are you coming with us, Uncle Darry?"

"Yeah Darry," Uncle Pony said. "When was the last time we did something together like that?"

Uncle Darry grinned. "It has been awhile. Okay, I'll go, too. Any idea what movie we're seeing?"

Uncle Pony shook his head. "Two-Bit didn't say."

There was a knock at the door again. This time it was Two-Bit. "Well, looks like the whole gang's here."

"I'll go make dinner now," daddy said. He turned to me. "Brianna, if you and Uncle Pony are finished with your game, could you put it away, please?"

I nodded as daddy went to make dinner. As I put the game away, I tried to imagine what it was like to watch a movie while in a car.

Ponyboy's POV

As soon as it started to get dark, we all got into Two-Bit's car and drove to the Nightly Double. The drive-in was packed with cars of other's who seemed to have the same idea. Also, you had the ones sitting in the seats in front of the concession stand. The people who didn't have a car but wanted to go to the drive-in anyway.

"When does the movie start?" Brianna asked from where she sat between Soda and me.

"Soon," I whispered to her as the image of an animated hotdog doing flips before jumping into a bun appeared on the screen. I tapped Two-Bit's shoulder. "What movie are we seeing?"

Two-Bit turned and grinned at me. "It's an Elvis movie."

"Hey, this might actually be good then," Soda commented. "Right Darry?"

"Sure, little buddy," Darry replied.

"I'm going to go get some popcorn and cokes," I said. "Brianna, do you want to come with? You can help carry the pop corn."

"Stay with Uncle Pony," Soda said as Brianna and I got out of the car. "I don't want you getting lost."

"Okay daddy," Brianna said as she took my hand. Together we walked to the concession stand where we waited for our turn. At first, it was just your typical wait in a long time. But then, someone behind me gave me a shove.

"I can't believe they still let greasers out in public," Said the person who shoved me. I turned and saw that it was a soc.

"I can't believe this is still going on," I commented. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

The soc and his three friends pretended to discuss what I had just said before turning back to me. "Not when there are filthy greasers around."

"Uncle Pony?" Brianna asked tugging on my arm. I remembered Soda telling her to stay with me and protectively put my arm around her.

"You wouldn't harm a little girl, would you?" I asked.

"Danny, get the child out of the way so she can see what happens to dirty greasers like her uncle here," The soc who had shoved me said.

Danny pulled Brianna away from me and held her so that she could see the other three start to slug me and kick me, causing me to slump down to the ground.

"Stop it!" Brianna cried. "Uncle Pony, make them stop!"

I looked at her and saw that Danny was holding her face by the chin so that she couldn't turn away. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and I think it was the first time that I had ever seen fear in her eyes. And she was trying her best to get out of Danny's grasp, kicking him and wiggling around to try to loosen his grip on her.

"You're scaring her," I said between gasps. "She shouldn't have to watch this."

"Why not?" Danny asked. "The sooner she gets a dose of real life, the better."

"Don't listen to him Brianna," I said. "You know that what they're doing here is wrong."

"Uncle Pony, your face is bleeding," Brianna said between choked sobs.

The socs continued to slug me but then I heard a voice say, "Leave him alone and let her go. And if I ever see any of you doing anything like this again, you'll have to answer to me."

The socs all ran off and Brianna dropped to her knees beside me. I pulled her to me, realizing that she was shaking with fear as I looked up at the person who had spoken. Standing right there in jeans and a white t-shirt was someone I heard about over the past two or three years, but until then, I had never seen him before. Now, he was standing there looking cooler than anyone else I had ever seen, including Dally and I wondered if the stories that I heard about him were true. Also, even though I had never met him, I wondered if he was in Tulsa to stay or if he was going to take off again like some of the people I knew said he would.


	6. Surprise character revealed

Darry's POV

"How long does it take to get popcorn and a few cokes?" I asked. It had been at least fifteen minutes since Ponyboy and Brianna had left.

"Darry, the line gets long," Soda said. "They'll come back."

"Yeah," Two-Bit agreed. "Pony wouldn't run off with my money. Yours maybe, but not mine."

"Very funny Two-bit," I grumbled. At that moment, we saw a group of socs run past, looking like the devil was after them.

"Wow, did you see that?" Two-Bit asked. "I wonder who got to them to make them run like that?"

"Maybe Pony knows something," Soda suggested as we all watched the socs get into a car and leave the drive-in.

Brianna's POV

Uncle Pony stood up and looked down at me, "Are you okay, Brianna?"

I nodded because I wasn't the one who was hurt, Uncle Pony was.

"You should get cleaned up," The boy who had sent the mean guys away said. He touched Uncle Pony's face. "At least it doesn't look like you need stitches. But they still got you pretty good."

"I can handle them jumping me," Uncle Pony said. "It's the fact that they made her watch that I can't take. She's only five. She shouldn't have to see that."

"Pony, Brianna, what's taking you two so long? Darry's almost ready to send out a search party," daddy said as he walked up to us. I ran to him and jumped into his arms as I started crying again. "What happened?"

"They hurt Uncle Pony," I cried.

"Who did?" daddy asked as he wiped the tears from my face.

"The socs did," the boy replied. "But I don't think they'll be coming back any time soon."

"We just watched a bunch of socs leave," daddy said as he looked at the boy then he grinned. "You used to come to the DX station to get motorcycles fixed."

"Yeah, I did," the boy replied. "I haven't been around much. I've been riding a motorcycle near the river."

"Must be a nice ride," Uncle Pony said.

"Daddy, do you know him?" I asked.

"Not that well," daddy told me. "I just know that Steve and i have fixed a few bikes for him and that almost everybody calls him the Motorcycle Boy."

"Soda, we should get those cokes and that popcorn before Darry really does send out a search party," Uncle Pony said.

Soda's POV

I turned to the Motorcycle Boy. "Would you like to join us? I think we can squeeze you into Two-Bit's car if Brianna sits on my lap."

The Motorcycle Boy shrugged. "I don't have anything better to do."

"Pony, go get cleaned up," I said. "We'll get the popcorn and cokes."

"Okay, I'll meet you back at the car," Ponyboy said. He walked off in the direction of the bathrooms while I got in line at the concession stand.

"What can I get for you?" The boy behind the counter asked.

"Five cokes and two large popcorns," I said as I put Brianna down. A minute later, we were walking back to Two-Bit's car. The Motorcycle Boy followed a short distance behind us.

"Where's Pony?" Darry asked once we got into the car.

"I'm here," Ponyboy said, getting into the car right after me.

"What happened to your face?" Two-bit asked, turning around. "You look like you got jumped."

"I did," Pony replied. "But, the Motorcycle Boy here sent them away."

"They didn't hurt Brianna did they?" Darry asked. "You didn't let them do anything to her."

"They forced her to watch, but other than that, they didn't hurt her," Ponyboy replied. "I wouldn't have let them."

"Neither would I," the Motorcycle Boy said. "I'm not about to let someone hurt a child. I have a younger brother at home that I keep an eye on even though he likes to think that he's old enough to think for himself."

"I know what that's like," Darry said, looking at me and Pony.

The Motorcycle Boy ignored him. "Rusty James is twelve going on thirteen and I swear he thinks he's eighteen like me. But, he's nothing like me. Too wild and reckless."

"Well thanks for watching out for my own younger brother," Darry said.

"And my daughter," I added. "I can't believe they made you watch that, Brianna. That must have been scary for you."

"It was," Brianna said. "Daddy, you told me that hitting people is wrong."

"That's right," I replied.

Brianna turned to look up at me. "Well, why didn't their daddies tell them that?"

"I don't know, sweetie," I told her as I kissed the top of her head. "Look, the movie's starting."


	7. At Soda's After the Movie

Soda's POV

Ponyboy appologized to me several times before we got back to my place because he felt bad that Brianna was forced to watch him get jumped. "I would have got out of there, but I couldn't. And I wasn't about to send Brianna off by herself."

"Pony, it's okay," I told him. "I told Brianna to stay with you, remember? Besides, it's not like you planned to get jumped."

"Aren't you just a little upset?" Pony asked.

I sighed. "Yes, I'm upset. I'm furious at those socs. It's one thing to go around jumping people, but it's completely different when you make a five year old little girl watch. Especially when that little girl is my daughter."

"Daddy?" Brianna asked, coming into the living room wearing her pajamas.

"What is it, sweetie?" I asked, turning away from Ponyboy.

"I don't want to sleep by myself," Brianna told me.

I sat down on the couch and motioned for Brianna to join me. As soon as she reached the couch, I pulled her onto my lap. "Are you afraid because of what happened tonight?"

Brianna nodded. "What if they come here?"

"Honey, they're not going to come here, and even if they did, I wouldn't let them hurt you and neither would Steve." I told her.

"I still don't want to sleep by myself," Brianna whispered as someone knocked on the door. She quickly moved closer to me and warily looked at the door as Pony answered it.

Steve's POV

"Hey, Pony," I said when the door to Soda's apartment opened. I looked over his shoulder at Brianna who looked like she was ready to either run out of the room or start crying right there on Soda's lap. "Hey, Brianna what's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Ponyboy was jumped at the drive-in tonight and they made Brianna watch," Soda said and even though he was trying to sound calm for Brianna, I could hear the hint of anger in his voice.

"The socs?" I asked and Ponyboy nodded. "I didn't think they could stoop that low."

"Well, they did," Ponyboy replied.

I walked over to the couch and sat down next to Soda. It was one of the few times that I saw him without a smile on his face and I knew he was trying not to show Brianna how upset he really was. He wanted to be strong for her because if he got upset, then she'd get more upset than she already was.

"She doesn't want to sleep alone now," Soda told me. "She thinks that the socs are going to show up here."

"We wouldn't let that happen, Brianna," I told her, touching her arm. "You're safe here."

"She should have been safe with me at the Nightly Double," Ponyboy said softly.

"Pony, stop trying to take the blame," Soda said. "You didn't know that you'd be jumped."

"Yeah, but what if it was worse, Soda?" Pony asked. "What if the Motorcycle Boy hadn't shown up like he did?"

I stared at Ponyboy. "The Motorcycle Boy was there?"

"He watched the movie with us," Brianna said, finally getting off of Soda's lap only to climb onto mine.

"Well, that's better," I said giving her a hug.

"If the Motorcycle Boy hadn't shown up, Brianna could have got hurt," Ponyboy told us. "They weren't exactly being gentle with her. Look Soda, there's a bruise under her chin from where the soc held her head to make sure that she could watch the others beat me."

Soda and I both looked at Brianna's chin and sure enough, there was a bruise underneath it where the soc had held her. You could even see the outline of the fingers.

"Did they hold you anywhere else?" Soda asked Brianna. "It's okay, you can show us."

Brianna pointed to her stomach and Soda lifted up her pajama top a few inches to reveal another bruise that had formed. She looked like she was going to start crying and Soda took her back from me.

"Honey, it's going to be okay," Soda told her. "They're not going to hurt you ever again."

"It's getting late," I said standing up. "I'll see you guys in the morning."

Ponyboy's POV

Steve left the apartment and I motioned to Soda to let him know that I was going to go follow him.

"Steve," I said as I closed Soda's door behind me. He was already at his own apartment, opening the door.

"Yeah?" Steve asked as I walked over to him. He held the door open and waited for me to go inside. His apartment was almost identicle to Soda's except that it only had one bedroom and he had a few more pieces of furniture in the living room.

"You're not thinking of looking for the socs that jumped me, are you?" I asked.

Steve sighed. "I don't know. I know Soda's upset and if he could, he'd hunt them down himself just because they jumped you. But, because they made Brianna a part of it, well, it's hard to know what any of us would do."

I nodded. "The poor thing's pretty shaken up about it."

"It was hard enough dealing with them jumping us when we were younger," Steve said. "But back then, we always knew that we could get even. But now, I'm not so sure. How can you get even with someone who's frightened your best friend's daughter? I'd love to beat the tar out of them, but would that really make things better?"

"Probably not," I sighed. "I was hoping that Brianna would never have to get caught up in the whole greaser verses soc thing. But I guess that wasn't meant to happen."

"I think all of us were hoping that," Steve said. "But let's face it, she'll be starting kindergarten in a few months and that means, she'll find out pretty quick that not everyone is like us. She's going to find out the difference between social classes and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Still, she shouldn't have had to watch me get jumped," I pointed out.

"I agree," Steve replied. "But let's face it, things are going to get harder before they get easier. Her world is about to change and all of us have to be ready for it."

Brianna's POV

"It's late," Daddy whispered into my ear. "You should go to bed."

"I don't want to sleep by myself," I reminded him. Those boys who had hurt Uncle Pony had scared me and I didn't want to be alone in my room.

The door opened and Uncle Darry walked in. "Where's Pony?"

"At Steve's," Daddy replied. "He should be back soo."

Uncle Darry sat down next to us on the couch. "It's a little late for you to be up still, isn't it Brianna?"

"She's afraid to sleep by herself," Daddy said. He looked down at me. "Why don't you go lay down in my room? You can leave the door open and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Uncle Pony walked in then. He walked up to me and gently pushed my hair back. "Darry and I should get going and let the two of you get some sleep. Brianna, I really am sorry that you had to see that."

I reached up and gave Uncle Pony a hug. "I know, but I'm still scared."

"I am too," Uncle Pony whispered so that only I could hear him. Then, he stood up and he and Uncle Darry left.

"Okay, let's get you to bed," Daddy said, standing up.

In your room?" I asked.

Daddy nodded. "In my room. But, this is not going to be a nightly thing. You can sleep in my room for a few nights, but then it'll be back to your own room, okay?"

"Okay," I yawned.

Daddy grinned. "It looks like you'll fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow."

I walked into his bedroom and climbed up onto his bed. Daddy waited for me to lay down and pulled the blankets over me. Just like he said, as soon as my head hit the pllow, I fell asleep.


	8. Trip to the Library

Darry's POV

"Uncle Darry, come here," Brianna told me a few days after we saw the movie at the drive-in. She was sitting on the couch with one of her picture books.

"What is it?" I asked as I sat down next to her.

Brianna pointed at her book. "That word is cat, right?"

I looked down at where she was pointing. "Yes, that's right."

"So, is this word, hat?" She pointed at another word.

"You just read two words," I told her. I pointed to another word. "Can you tell me what that word is?"

Brianna looked at where I pointed and started sounding out the word. "S...at. Sat?"

"Very good," I told her. I looked at Soda who wasstanding in the kichen doorway watching me and Brianna. "She just read three words to me."

Soda grinned. "That's my girl. Ponyboy says he's going to have her reading to him by the end of the summer."

"I am," Brianna told us. "Uncle Pony helps me to sound out words."

"Well, he's doing a good job," I told her. "He should be here in a few minutes. Then the two of you can work on reading some more words."

Brianna grinned at me and went back to looking at her book. I stood up and walked over to Soda who had sat down at the small table that Steve had found on the curb with a few chairs.

"She's one smart little girl," I commented as I sat down next to him.

Soda's POV

I watched Brianna as she looked at her book for a minute before turning to Darry. "Yes, she is. She pointed out every place in that book where it says cat to me during breakfast."

Darry smiled. "Well, now she can point two more words out to you."

There was a knock at the door and Steve came in with Ponyboy following closely behind. Steve had a bruised cheek and a cut up hand because he had found the socs who had jumped Ponyboy. I was secretly glad when he told me that he had gotten his hands on the socs, but I didn't want him telling Brianna that that's where he had gotten hurt because I didn't want her to think that it was okay to go starting fights. So, he told her that he hurt himself at work.

"Uncle Steve! Uncle Pony, come see what I can read," Brianna said as soon as they entered the apartment.

Darry and I exchanged a grin as they went over to her.

"Wow, that's really good," Steve told her once she read cat, hat and sat to him and Pony. He turned to Pony. "If she keeps learning this fast, she'll be reading to you by your birthday."

"Honey, why don't you put the book away now?" I asked. "It's time for you and Uncle Pony to go to the library for story time."

Two-Bit's mom had started to bring Brianna to the local library once a week for a story. Brianna seems to like it and she gets to be around other children, although I think they're all a little younger than she is. She hasn't met many kids her own age yet.

"We're going to hear a story about a bunny today," Brianna told Ponyboy.

"Really?" Ponyboy asked. "That sounds like it will be a good story."

"Yeah, it does," Brianna agreed before running to her room to put the book away.

Ponyboy's POV

I watched Brianna run to her room before I joined the others at the table. "She really seems to like stories."

"She does," Soda replied. "She misses having you here to read to her when your at school."

"But she's doing well when it comes to learning how to read," I commented. "Does she have a library card yet? Maybe she could check out a few books from the library."

"I don't know, Pony," Soda said slowly. "I don't know if she's ready for the responsibility of having a library card yet."

"Pony might have a good idea, Soda," Steve said.

"But, she's still pretty young, guys," Soda commented. "I don't want her to end up losing the card if she gets one."

"Why don't you just keep the card in your wallet, little buddy?" Darry asked.

Soda looked at each of us. "Well, I guess that might work. And Ms. Mathews has told me that Brianna likes to look at all the books after story time is over."

"Do you want me to ask about getting her a library card while we're there today?" I asked.

"Okay," Soda agreed.

"Can we go now, Uncle Pony?" Brianna asked, returning from her room.

I nodded. "If you want."

Soda gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you later. Be good for Uncle Pony, okay?"

"I will," Brianna replied as she walked to the door to put on her shoes. "Uncle Pony, can you tie my shoes for me?"

I walked over to her and bent down to tie her shoes. Then, we both stood up and I opened the door so we could leave. "Darry's letting me use the truck today."

"Can we go the park after story time?" Brianna asked.

"I don't see why not," I replied as I got into the truck. I smiled at Brianna who was looking out her window at the apartment building. "Do any other kids live here? I haven't seen any."

"A couple do," Brianna told me. "But, they're older than me. One is ten and the other is eight."

"Do they play with you?" I asked.

Brianna shook her head. "I don't see them a lot. They go to school and have friends in other houses."

"Well, you'll be in school, soon," I told her. "I'm sure you'll make lots of friends there."

Brianna's POV

When we got to the library, everyone was already going into the small room for story time. I took Uncle Pony's hand and led him into the room where we sat down on the carpet. A few kids were crying and one kid was sucking his thumb.

"Hello, you must be Brianna's uncle," Mrs. Davies said, shaking Uncle Pony's hand. "She talks about you a lot."

Uncle Pony grinned at me. "She likes talking about her family."

Mrs. Davies looked at me. "Are you ready to hear today's story?"

I nodded.

"Good," Mrs. Davies replied. She walked over to the big chair where she always sat to read the stories and picked up a book. Then, she started to read it to us, making sure that everyone got to see the pictures before she turned the page.

"That was a good story," Uncle Pony said when story time was over. "Wouldn't it be nice if you could read it at home?"

"I don't have that book," I told him.

Uncle Pony tapped Mrs. Davies on the shoulder. "Would it be possible to get Brianna her own library card?"

"Well, she has to be able to write her name and I need her father here, too," Mrs. Davies said. "But, if you have a card, she can check out books on that."

"Okay," Uncle Pony replied. He looked down at me. "So, how would you like to pick out a few books to bring home?"

"Can I?" I looked at Mrs. Davies.

"Of course you can," Mrs. Davies said. "Just remember that you have to return them in two weeks."

"We will," Uncle Pony told her as we left the room. "I might even check out a few books to read myself."

"You already have a lot of books," I told him as we walked to where the children's books were kept.

"I know," Uncle Pony replied. "But, there's always a lot of books that I haven't read yet here."

I started to look through all the books and picked out four to bring home. Then Uncle Pony picked out a few big books for him to take. Then we went to a desk where Mrs. Davies put a stamp on the cards inside the books before we left for the park.

"Can we read one of the books at the park?" I asked once we were back inside the truck.

"Why don't we stop someplace on the way to the park to pick up some lunch. Then, we can eat it at the park and read one of the books you checked out," Uncle Pony told me.

"Can we visit daddy?" I asked. "He sometimes lets me have a sandwhich and a candy bar when Two-Bit takes me there."

"No soda?" Uncle Pony asked.

"He lets me have soda or juice," I replied.

"Well, okay," Unlce Pony said. "The DX is on the way to the park."

While Uncle Pony drove, I looked at the pictures in the books I chose to take home. Uncle Pony's books didn't have any pictures except for the ones on the covers. I liked that mine had pictures because I liked to see the animals and people that were being read about. Sometimes, I made up my own stories about the pictures. Which is easy to do when you don't know what any of the words say.


	9. Father Daughter Night

Brianna's POV

"Daddy, I'm hungry," I said, walking into the living room. I climbed up onto the couch and leaned against him. "When's dinner?"

"I'll start dinner in a few minutes," daddy told me. He put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. "How does chicken with corn and mashed potatoes sound?"

"Can you color the potatoes pink?" I asked.

Daddy smiled and nodded. "Oh, I think I can do that."

"Are Uncle Darry and Uncle Pony coming over?" I asked.

Daddy shook his head. "Not tonight, sweetie. We have the place to ourselves."

"Just the two of us? What about Uncle Steve and Uncle Two-Bit?" I looked up at daddy who was getting up from the couch.

"Two-Bit and Steve are both working," Daddy replied. "Besides, I thought we could spend some time together. Maybe play a few games."

Daddy went to the kitchen to start dinner and I went to my room to play with some of my toys until dinner was ready. I had a new doll house that Uncle Darry made for me. It looked just like his house and he even included a few dolls. I like playing with the doll house. I also like playing with toy cars.

I sat down on the floor by my doll house and started to play with the dolls. I pretended that daddy and I still lived at Uncle Darry's and that Uncle Pony was teasing daddy for making the potatoes pink. I also pretended that Uncle Darry was on vacation because daddy says he works too hard.

"What am I doing?" Daddy asked, coming into the room. He knelt down next to me.

"You're making dinner, see?" I pointed to a doll in the kitchen.

"Oh," Daddy said. "Speaking of dinner, it's almost ready. Go wash your hands and come set the table."

"Okay," I said, standing up. I walked into the bathroom and stood on the small step stool that Uncle Darry had made for me while daddy and I were still at the house so that I could reach the faucet without any help. When I finished washing my hands, I went to the kitchen and set the table. Just like daddy asked me to. Then, I stood next to daddy and watched as he put food color in the potatoes and stirred them until they turned pink.

"There you go," Daddy said. "Pink potatoes, just like you requested."

"Can I pour the chocolate milk?" I asked as daddy put the food on our plates.

"Not tonight, sweetie," Daddy replied. "The container is still pretty full. Maybe you can pour it tomorrow when it's not so full."

"Alright," I said, feeling a little disappointed.

"But, you can make us sundaes for desert later," Daddy said.

I smiled as I sat down and started to eat my dinner. Daddy always lets me help with something. And he lets me put whatever I want on my sundaes.

"What did you and Uncle Pony do today?" Daddy asked.

"Uncle Pony took me to a different park today," I told him. "It had a pond and he let me feed the ducks that were there."

"That sounds like it was fun," Daddy said.

"And, two of the ducks ate right out of my hand," I said with a laugh. "Also, this lady let me pet her dog. He was very soft."

"Did Uncle Pony tell you that we used to have a dog when we were little?" Daddy asked and I shook my head. "His name was Buffy and he was more Pony's dog than anyone elses. Those two were always together."

"He told me about Mickey Mouse," I said. "You really had your own horse?"

Soda's POV

I grinned fondly at the memory of Mickey Mouse. I still missed him, but knew that I would probably never have my own horse. I think I knew it when I was thirteen,too, but I still had this belief that someday I would have my own horse.

"Well, he really belonged to someone else," I told Brianna. "But, I always said he was mine because he only came if I called. And I was the only one he listened to."

"What happened to Mickey Mouse?" Brianna asked. "Uncle Pony said he got sold. Did you ever see him again?"

"No," I told her. "The person who bought him lived in Texas. I did find out a year after he was sold that he had won a few races in one of the rodeos down there."

"Do you still miss Mickey Mouse?" Brianna asked before taking a drink of her chocolate milk.

"Yes," I told her. "But not as much as I'd miss you if you ever went away."

"I'll be going to school soon," Brianna said.

"I know," I told her. "But you'll be going to school a few blocks from the DX station. You won't be going far away like Pony does."

"Will I like school?" Brianna asked.

"You'll like school a lot," I told her. "Especially kindergarten because you still get to play a lot even though you'll be learning things, too."

Brianna continued to eat her dinner while I stood up and put my own dishes in the sink. I tend to eat my meals very fast while Brianna takes her time to eat her food. She also tends to pick at her food; pushing anything she doesn't like to the side of her plate. But she wasn't pushing anything to the side of her plate tonight. She likes the dinner that I had made, it's one of her favorites.

"I'm done, daddy," Brianna said. She walked over to the sink and handed me her plate so I could wash it.

"Well, should we play a game?" I asked once the dishes were washed. "I think we have 'Chutes and Ladders'."

"What's that?" Brianna asked as she followed me out of the kitchen.

"It's a game where you have to make it all the way to the top of the board. But there are ladders and chutes all over it," I told her as I pulled the game down from the shelf in the hall closet. I opened the box and set the game on the floor while Brianna watched.

"What are the kids there for?" She asked.

I set two game pieces on the first square. "Those kids are part of the game. If you land on one at the bottom of a ladder, you get to slide your piece to the top of the ladder. But, if you land on one at the top of a chute, you have to slide your piece to the bottom of it."

Brianna looked at me. "And I have to get to the top?"

"That's right," I told her and I pointed to the square. "That's where you want to end up."

We played the game and Brianna seemed to like it. Although, I think she just liked sliding her piece up the ladders and down the chutes. Not that I blamed her, that was my favorite part of the game when I was little, too.

"Did you, Uncle Darry and Uncle Pony play this?" Brianna asked as we started to play the game a second time.

"Yes," I told her. "We're playing with the same board and pieces that I played with when I was your age."

"Really?" Brianna asked. "Is that why the kids are all dressed funny?"

I grinned. "Yeah, that's why they're dressed funny."

Brianna's POV

I liked the game that daddy and I were playing. It was easy and I liked looking at the pictures of the kids. I could see that every time a kid did something good, I could go up a ladder. But if a kid was bad, I had to go down a chute.

"Can I play this with Uncle Pony tomorrow?" I asked.

"Of course you can," Daddy said. "I'll leave the game on the coffee table."

"Do you have any other fun games?" I asked when we finished playing 'Chutes and Ladders'.

Daddy stood up and walked back to the closet. "Let's see, we have checkers, my old set of jacks, and dominoes."

"Let's play with them all," I said and daddy laughed.

"I don't know if we can play every game tonight," Daddy said. "We still have to make our sundaes and you really should take a bath before you go to bed."

"Please?" I gave him my best sad face.

"I'll show you how to play with the dominoes tonight," Daddy said. "But, I'll leave the checkers and jacks out, too. Maybe you and Pony can plat with them tomorrow."

Daddy showed me how to match the dots on the dominoes.

"That doesn't seem like much fun," I told him.

"Okay, then how about this?" Daddy stood the dominoes up in a line then pushed on one so that they all fell down.

I laughed. "I want to do that!"

Daddy watched as I did the same thing. "You like that, don't you?"

"It's more fun than matching the dots," I said. "Can we have our sundaes now?"

"Yes, we can have our sundaes now," Daddy said. "I'll put the ice cream into the bownls and you can do the rest while I put the games away."

"You'll leave them out here, right?" I asked.

"Yes," Daddy said as we went into the kichen. He took out two bowls and the chocolate ice cream. When he finished putting the ice cream into the bowls, he took out everything to make sundaes with and two spoons. "There you go, make mine extra special."

I used chocolate syrup and whipped cream on both of our sundaes. Daddy got nuts on his sundae and I put lots of colored sprinkles on mine. I also put a cherry on the top of our sundaes, but the cherries slid down the whipped cream, so I fixed it with more nuts and sprinkles.

"Sundaes are done!" I yelled and daddy walked into the kitchen.

"Wow, those look to good to eat now," Daddy told me.

"You have to eat it," I told him. "If you don't the ice cream will melt."

"Yours is very colorful," Daddy told me as he started eating his sundae.

"I like using the sprinkles," I replied.

"You didn't use any on mine," Daddy said, pretending to be sad. I put some sprinkles on his sundae and he smiled. "That's better."

Soda's POV

When we finished our sundaes, I had Brianna take her bath and get ready for bed. When she was done, I combed her hair and tucked her into bed.

"Daddy?" Brianna asked as I pulled the blanket over her.

"Yes, sweetie?" I asked.

"Can we do this again?" She smiled at me. "Tonight was fun."

I grinned. "I'd like that. And tonight was fun."

"Will you read me a story?" Brianna yawned.

I picked up a book that she and Pony had taken out from the library then sat down on the edge of the bed. "Why don't we both read it. I'll read most of it, and you can read the words that you know."

"I don't know how to read many words," Brianna told me.

Iput my arm around her and pulled her closer to me. "That's okay. You know more words than you did a week ago."

We started to read the story and before we got to the end, she fell asleep. I finished reading the story, then stood up and quietly put the book back on the shelf and left the room, closing the door behind me.


	10. Getting Chicken Pox

Steve's POV

I had been looking through a car magazine when I heard a familar light knock on the door. Standing up, I went to the door and answered it. Knowing that Soda and Brianna would be on the other side. When Soda had told me earlier that he was going to need me to watch Brianna while he spent an evening with his brothers, I had offered to go down the short hallway to his apartment. But, Soda said he'd bring Brianna over to my apartment.

"Hey, thanks for watching her tonight," Soda said when I answered the door.

"No problem," I told him. "Are you sure you don't want me to watch her at your place?"

Soda nodded. "She hasn't been here in a while."

"Do you still have coloring books?" Brianna asked me, tugging on my hand.

"They're where I've always kept them," I replied. "There should be a new box of crayons, too."

Brianna started to walk towards where I kept the coloring books but Soda stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't you want to say good-bye to your daddy?"

"Bye daddy," Brianna said giving Soda a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"That's better," Soda said with a grin. "Now be good for Steve, okay?"

"I don't think I have to worry about her," I said with a laugh.

"I don't either," Soda said. "Oh, Pony told me that she took a nap earlier, so she might be coming down with something. But, she seems fine now."

"I'm sure she's fine," I said. "Maybe she was tired earlier."

"If she starts to show any signs that she's not feeling well, have her lay down," Soda left then, closing the door behind him and I walked over to where Brianna was looking through the stack of coloring books. She had picked out a few of them herself when I took her to the store a few months back. There was one with Bugs Bunny on the cover and another one with Woody Woodpecker.

"Can I color a picture for daddy?" Brianna asked.

I nodded. "I think he'll like that. What are you going to color for him?"

"This one of a pony," Brianna told me pointing at a picture of a horse grazing in a field.

"That's a good picture," I told her. "I think I'll color this one of Bugs Bunny eating a nice big carrot."

"Okay," Brianna agreed as she started to color her picture using a blue crayon to color in the horse.

Brianna's POV

I liked going to Uncle Steve's because he always had coloring books for me and he colored with me, too. He was coloring Bugs Bunny while I colored a pony for daddy. I wanted to give daddy a picture of the pony because he had lost his horse, Mickey Mouse a long time ago.

"I bought a few actiivity books, too," Steve told me. "Did you see them/"

I nodded. "They have dot to dots and other stuff, right?"

"That's right," Steve told me. "And there's still pictures to color."

We colored for a little while when Steve stood up and told me that he was going to go wash a few dishes in the kitchen. He left me alone to color by myself and I took out out an activity book, yawning as I did because I was feeling tired. I found a dot to dot game and scratched my tummy where it had started to itch.

"Are you hungry, Brianna?" Steve asked, coming out of the kitchen.

I shook my head. "No, but my tummy itches."

Steve walked over to me and knelt down, pulling my shirt up a little bit, revealing little red bumps all over my tummy. "Why don't you go lay down on the couch? And don't scratch your tummy."

"Why not?" I asked. "It itches."

Steve led me to the couch and had me lay down. "Because I think you have the chicken pox and you're not supposed to scratch them."

"I want daddy," I told him, not liking that I was all itchy and daddy wasn't there.

Steve pushed my hair back and looked at me. "I know you do. I'll call the house and see if they're still there. But, I can't promise that I'll get a hold of him. They might have left already."

I closed my eyes as Steve covered me with a blanket, telling me again not to scratch. I was very tired and it didn't take long for me to fall asleep.

Steve's POV

I sighed and picked up the phone, dialing Darry's number. The phone rang several times before I hung up and looked at the couch where Brianna was sleeping. Little red dots were now starting to cover her everywhere. And I wanted Soda there as much as she did. After all, he had taken care of her while she was sick before. I hadn't and I didn't know what to do.

Fortunately, Brianna slept most of the evening. She did wake up a few times to say that she was hot and to try to scratch the little red bumps. Not that I blamed her. I remembered when I had the chicken pox and I knew how much it itched.

Shortly before midnight, there was a knock on the door and I answered it. "Thanks for leaving a sick kid with me."

I grinned so Soda would know that I really wasn't upset. But he looked at me with concern anyway.

"I knew I should have stayed home with her," Soda told me. "Was she any trouble?"

"No, she slept most of the night. But, I did have to make sure that she didn't try to scratch, she has the chicken pox, buddy," I told him. "I tried to get a hold of you at Darry's but you were already out."

"I'm sorry you had to watch her while she wasn't feeling well," Soda said. "I know she would have liked to have played a game or something with you if she was feeling better."

"Don't worry about it," I told him. "We did get to color for a little bit."

"Daddy?" Brianna woke up and tried to sit up. "I don't feel good."

Soda's POV

I walked over to Steve's couch where Brianna was now sitting with a blanket wrapped around her. She was covered in the familar red spots that come with the chicken pox. When I had left her a few hours earlier, she had no spots.

"Did Stve take good care of you?" I asked even though I knew he did.

Brianna nodded. "But he won't let me scratch and I'm all itchy."

"I know it itches," I told her. "But it's not good to scratch when you have the chicken pox. So, try not to scratch, okay?"

"How can I try not to itch when it's so itchy?" Brianna asked me sounding annoyed.

I grinned and pushed her hair back from her face. "I'll call Darry when we get home. He might know how to stop the itching so that you won't scratch."

"Didn't you have the chicken pox?" Steve asked.

"When I was three and Pony was one," I replied. "All three of us had it around the same time so Darry might be able to remember what our parents did. Unless you have any ideas."

"My mom rubbed some sort of lotion on me," Steve said. "But I don't remember what it was called. Maybe Darry would know."

I picked up Brianna and started to walk towards the door.

"Steve, where's the picture I colored for daddy?" Brianna asked.

Steve went to get the picture and handed it to me. It was a picture of a blue horse.

"It's Mickey Mouse," Brianna told me.

"It looks just like him," I said even though Mickey Mouse wasn't blue. "Thank you, sweetie. I'll hang it on the ice box when we get home."

"Why don't you stay home with her until she's better?" Steve suggested as he opened the door. "I think we'll be okay at the station and if I have to, I can ask Ponyboy to help out. He wouldn't mind, would he?"

"I don't think so," I said. "Stop by tomorrow when you get home from work."

"Okay," Steve agreed as he reached out and squeezed Brianna's shoulder. "I'm sorry we couldn't have more fun tonight, Brianna."

I walked down the hall to my apartment with Brianna clinging to my neck. As soon as I unlocked the door, I took Brianna to her room and put her to bed, fully clothed. Then I called Darry who sounded a little irritated when he answered the phone.

"Brianna has chicken pox," I said quickly. "Do you remember what mom did when we had it?"

Darry sighed. "I think she added baking soda to a bath."

"Is that all?" I asked. "Steve said his mom rubbed a lotion on him when he had it."

"I don't remember much about it, little buddy," Darry told me. "But I can bring you a box of baking soda in the morning."

"That would be great," I said. "Oh, and tell Pony that he doesn't have to watch her. Steve said that I could stay home with Brianna while she's sick."

"What about the station?" Darry asked.

"If Steve needs extra help, he'll call Ponyboy," I replied. "Pony has always been good at helping out when we've needed it."

"Okay, well I'll see you in the morning," Darry said before hanging up.

I also hung up my phone and went to check on Brianna who had fallen asleep. It was probably the first time in a long time that she had gone to bed without asking for a story. I left her room, closing the door behind me and went to get ready for bed myself. I hoped that the baking soda baths would help Brianna to not want to scratch. But I had a feeling that I was going to have to watch her carefully to make sure that she didn't try to scratch.


	11. Chapter 11

Ponyboy's POV

"Uncle Pony, when is Patsy coming?" Brianna asked me. It was two days before my birthday and Brianna had been asking me when my girlfriend would be coming all morning.

"She'll be here tonight," I told Brianna. "Why don't you help me fold this blanket so I can put it back in the closet, okay?"

I was staying at Soda and Brianna's apartment for the rest of my summer break before I had to go back to school. This meant sleeping on the couch, but I didn't mind. I've slept on less comfortable things like the old pews at that old church in Windrixville. Besides, the couch didn't squeek like the bed I slept on at school.

"Is Patsy going to stay here with us?" Brianna asked as she helped me fold the blanket.

"I think she's going to stay at Darry's," I replied. "That way she'll have a bed to sleep on."

"Why can't she stay here?" Brianna asked, following me to the closet where I opened the door and put the blanket on a shelf.

"We don't have room for another person," Soda said, joining us. He was drying his hair with a towel and had on only a pair of jeans. "Besides, Darry offered to let her stay at his place."

"Is she going to come here at all?" Brianna looked at me and I laughed.

"I hope so," I told her. "It wouldn't be nice if my girlfriend came to town and never saw me. When I spoke to her on the phone last night, she said she couldn't wait to see you, Brianna."

"Really?" Brianna asked.

"Yeah, she wants to meet everyone while she's here," I replied.

Soda's POV

"Well, she'll be meeting two extra people tonight," I said as I tossed my towel into the bathroom. "I'm going to be watching Tim's son tonight."

"You're watching Michael?" Ponyboy asked. "He's two now, right?"

I nodded. "Looks just like Tim. This is the first time I'll be watching him. Apparently, Curly is in jail again and Angela has other plans."

"So, he picked you since you have experience with kids," Pony said.

"Yeah, but Mike is the perfect example of a kid going through the terrible twos. He threw a temper tantrum in the midle of the DX station a few weeks ago because Steve wouldn't let him near the car he was working on," I told Pony.

"Steve always let me help with cars," Brianna said.

"I know, but you were always well behaved and Steve didn't have to worry about you," I replied. "Mike would have just got in the way."

"Daddy, did I ever throw a tantrum?" Brianna asked.

"No," I told her, "You were always a good girl. The only time you ever get crabby is when you're sick and I can understand that."

The week she had the chicken pox a month ago was not easy for either of us. I was always telling her not to scratch and both of us get bored easily so it was hard to stay in our apartment or Steve's for a whole week. But she did learn how to read more during that week and even learned how to write her name thanks to Ponyboy.

"We still have several hours before Patsy gets here," Pony said to Brianna. "Maybe we can make a special surprise for her."

"Like what?" Brianna asked.

"Maybe we can make a welcome sign for her to hang on the door," Pony suggested. "I think she'll like that."

"Okay," Brianna agreed.

I walked to my room and grabbed my DX shirt from the closet. When I went back out to the living room, I gave Brianna a hug. "Bye sweetie, be good for Uncle Pony. I should be back at around five."

Brianna's POV

After daddy left, Uncle Pony and I started to make the sign. Uncle Pony wrote on it, but he said I could draw anything I wanted on it. I drew flowers and balloons, then I colored them in every color crayon that I had.

"That's really pretty," Uncle Pony told me. "She'll like that."

"How come you have a girlfriend and daddy doesn't?" I asked.

"I don't know, Brianna," Uncle Pony said. "Maybe he doesn't want a girlfriend now. That happens sometimes."

"Uncle Darry doesn't have one either," I said.

Uncle Pony laughed. "Well, that's because he works too much."

"I'll be starting school soon," I said as I finished coloring in a flower.

"I know, you'll be in kindergarten," Uncle Pony told me. "You'll be going to the same school Soda and I went to."

"Will I like it?" I asked.

"I'm sure you will," Uncle Pony said. "There will be kids your age to play with and you'll be learning lots of new stuff."

"Daddy says I have to take a bus to where he works aftter school," I said.

"I take it he'll drive you to school?" Uncle Pony asked.

I nodded. "He just doesn't want me home alone."

"Well, that's good," Uncle Pony told me. "I wouldn't let you stay by yourself, either. It's too dangerous."

I held up the sign and showed it to Uncle Pony. "Can I hang it on the door?"

"Of course," Uncle Pony replied. He stood up and found the tape which he stuck on the back of the sign. Then, we opened the door to the apartment and Uncle Pony held me up so I could stick the sign on the door. "That looks perfect, Brianna. Patsy is going to love it."


	12. Broken model and tears

Darry's POV

I watched Ponyboy as he paced around Soda's living room, checking the time every few minutes. He was nervous and the fact that Two-Bit and Soda kept asking questions wasn't helping much. It would be the first time that they would be meeting his girlfriend and he wanted things to go well during her visit.

"Leave him alone," Steve spoke up from the kitchen table where he was playing a game with Brianna. "He didn't bug the two of you about your girlfriends."

I stared at him. "Did I just hear you stick up for my youngest brother?"

Steve shrugged. "Hey, I'm just as curious as they are. But I don't think I need to ask him twenty questions."

"Daddy?" Brianna asked.

"Yes?"

"When is Tim coming with Michael?"

"He should be here around the same time as Pony's girlfriend," Soda replied.

"Good thinking, Soda," Two-Bit commented. "Scare the poor girl her first night here."

"Are you sure you can handle Mike, little buddy?" I asked Soda. "He's not exactly like Brianna when she was two."

"Yeah," Steve agreed. "You saw how he was at the DX a few weeks back. He made Dally seem like a saint and the kid's only two."

We never heard Soda's reply because just then, Pony ran out the door and returned a few minutes later with Patsy following behind.

Ponyboy's POV

"Everyone, this is Patsy," I said when we walked into Soda's apartment.

"I've heard a lot about all of you," Patsy said. She let go of my hand and continued to stand next to me, unsure of what to do. Not that I blamed her. Soda didn't really have anywhere to sit except for the couch and the chairs around the kitchen table. Every space was taken.

"Hey Two-Bit, get your lazy butt off the couch so Patsy can sit down," Soda said, realizing that there was no where for Patsy to sit. Two-Bit slid down to the floor and Soda gave Patsy one of his famous grins. "Sorry, there's not a lot of space here, but try to make yourself feel at home."

"Thank you," Patsy said. She went to sit down and not a moment too soon because there was a knock at the door and when Soda answered it, he was almost knocked down by Mike who ran into the apartment and immediately started to throw the pieces to the game Brianna and Steve were playing on the floor. Tim followed and gave Soda an appologetic look.

"He's been a handful all day," Tim said. He turned to where Mike was now trying to climb up on the kitchen cupboards to get a cookie from the cookie jar that Darry had allowed Soda to take when he had moved into the apartment. "Michael, get down from there!"

"Patsy, this is Tim and his son, Mike," Soda told Patsy. "I'm watching Mike tonight."

Tim mumbled a distracted hello while he went to get Mike off the kitchen counter. When he returned, he looked at me. "So, she's the girl Soda was talking about when I asked him to baby-sit. How did you manage to get so lucky?"

I shrugged and grinned. "I don't know, but don't try pulling anything. She's my girlfriend and that means hands off."

"No problem," Tim said. "I should get going. Thanks again for watching Mike, Soda."

After Tim left, the rest of us all found ourselves looking at Mike. Appearance wise, he was a cute kid. He had the same eyes and hair as Tim. But, he also had the chubby cheeks of a toddler. It's too bad his behavior couldn't match his looks. He'd only been there a few minutes and already he had ruined a game that Brianna and Steve were playing and had started to climb on stuff.

"Brianna, why don't you bring Mike to your room and let him play with some of your toys," Soda suggested.

Brianna gave him a look that any of us would have given him in the same situation. It's not that she doesn't like to share her toys, she loves to share. But I think she knew as well as I did that the little kid could break her toys and she didn't want that.

"Please?" Soda asked.

"Okay," Brianna said as she stood up from the floor where she had been helping Steve put the game away. She walked over to Mike and gave him her best smile. "Want to come to my room and play? I have toy cars."

"He's still little, so be careful of what you let him play with," Soda called after her.

"He's a little handful, isn't he?" Patsy asked.

"You could say that," I replied. "I just hope I never have kids like that. If I have kids, I want them to be like Brianna."

Soda grinned and gave me a hug in front of everyone. "Oh, I'm sure you will, Pony. Just don't make the same mistake I did. It's not always easy raising a kid by yourself."

Brianna's POV

I closed the door to my room and looked at Mike. He was looking back at me with big eyes and I walked to where I kept my toy cars. "You can play with these."

Mike followed and sat on the floor with the toy cars that I had taken out. They were some of my newer toys. I wasn't going to let him play with daddy's old cars. Those were special.

"If I put this box top against the wall like this, the cars will roll down it," I told Mike as I leaned a box top against the wall and showed him what I meant with one of the cars. He laughed and started to do it, too.

We played with cars for a while until Mike stood up and walked to my book shelf. he pulled a book off the shelf and looked at it.

"Do you want a story?" I asked. "I can read a little. My Uncle is teaching me."

Mike dropped the book and climbed on my bed. He then started to jump on it yelling, "Boing! Boing! Boing!" as he jumped. Then, he jumped off the bed and walked to my dresser where I had the model car that Steve gave me sitting on the top.

Daddy and I had just finished putting the model together. It took a long time to put together because daddy works a lot. But, it was done now and it looked pretty sitting on my dresser. I wanted Steve to see it when he showed up, but he talked to daddy for a while and then we started to play a game.

"Me want," Mike said pointing at the model car.

"That's not a toy," I told him. "I can get out more toys for you to play with.

"Me want that," Mike replied, still pointing at the model. He went to the rocking chair that daddy has always had in my room and pushed it to the dresser.

"No!" I cried. "That's not a toy. Daddy and I spent a long time putting that together."

Mike stood on the rocking chair and took the model car off the dresser. He sat down and at first he just looked at it. Then he moved to where he had the toy cars I had let him play with and started to play with the model like it was one of the toys. Giving it a push so it'd crash against the wall.

"Stop, don't do that," I said, reaching for the model. Mike stood up and moved across the room with the model still in his hands. "Please, put it back. I don't want it to break."

"You want?" Mike asked.

"Yes, can I please have it back?" I replied.

Mike lifted the model over his head and threw it at me, hitting me in the face with it and causing it to break as it hit the floor. Then, he laughed like he did something good.

I stood there, tears filling my eyes. Then I screamed, "Daddy!"

Soda's POV

I had been listening to Patsy tell us how she and Pony had met when I heard Brianna's scream. "I better go see what's going on."

"I'll bet it was Mike," Steve mumbled. "He's a cute kid but a little terror, too."

I walked to Brianna's room and opened the door. Mike was happily jumping on her bed, but Brianna was crying. I went to the bed and lifted Mike off of it. "No jumping, okay? Now, what's going on in here?"

"H...he threw m..my model a..at me!" Brianna sobbed. "I..it hit me i..in the f..face!"

I looked and saw that there was a cut on her cheek where the car had hit her. I knew that there would probably be a bad bruise there, too from the way her cheek was red. "Sweetie, I told you to be careful. He's not a big kid like you."

"I told him not to take it!" Brianna cried. "But he didn't listen. I even tried taking it away."

"Is everything okay?" Darry asked, appearing in the doorway.

I sighed. "Can you take Mike into the living room? Bring some of those toy cars with."

"Sure, little buddy," Darry said, picking up the toy cars that were on the floor. He then scooped up Mike with one arm. "Come on, kiddo, you're going to play in the living room for a while."

He barely missed running into Steve as he left the room.

"A..am I i...in tr...trouble?" Brianna asked as she started to sob again.

"Honey, why would you be in trouble?" I asked, leading her to the bed and sitting down on it. I pulled her onto my lap and wiped he tears away from her face with my finger.

"The m...model is broken," Brianna cried.

I looked at the floor where the model was laying in pieces.

"The model can be put back together," Steve said gently. "It's not broken that bad."

"It took a long time to put ittogether," Brianna sniffled. She was starting to calm down a little.

"It did," I agreed. "But Steve's right, it can be fixed."

"You're not mad at me?" Brianna asked.

I grinned at her. "No, I'm not mad. You didn't know that Mike would throw it at you. And it's my fault for not putting the model on a high shelf where he couldn't get to it."

"When is Tim supposed to come back for the little demon child?" Steve asked.

"He said he'd be back at around midnight," I replied. "So, I won't be able to go out with the rest of you."

"Can Brianna come with?" Steve asked.

"Ask her," I said. "But I'm sure she'll say yes."

"We were going to go to the Tastee Freeze for dessert and maybe to the Nightly double for a movie," Steve told Brianna. "Your Uncle Pony wants to show Patsy around while she's here. I'll buy you any dessert you want."

Brianna slowly nodded.

"Before you go, lets get your face cleaned up a bit," I said, as Brianna got off my lap. I led her to the bathroom and washed the cut on her face. "Do you want a bad-aid on your cut?"

I found a small band-aid and put it on the cut.

"Daddy, why didn't Mike listen to me?" Brianna asked once I was done.

"I think part of it is he's too young to understand," I told her. "Some kids are just natural trouble makers. Maybe when he gets older, he'll understand that certain things are wrong."

We left the bathroom and went to the living room where the others were waiting. I took Brianna's light jacket out of the hall closet and handed it to her. "You don't have to put it on now, but it might get cold later. Be good."

"I will," Brianna said as Steve took her hand.

"Look Pony, I got a cute date too," Steve teased my younger brother.

Ponyboy laughed. "Yeah, I see that. You better treat her nice."

Patsy smiled at Brianna. "Well, it's nice to know I won't be the only girl going."

"Well, let's get going," Two-Bit said as he and Darry stood up from the chairs they were sitting on.

Darry handed me Mike who was busy tearing up a piece of junk mail. "Good luck, little buddy. Maybe he'll go to sleep soon."

"Bye," I said as I watched everyone leave. Then I looked at Mike, feeling a little angry at the kid for hurting my daughter. But I knew he didn't understand that throwing things was wrong and I also knew that the only thing I could do was tell Tim what had happened.


	13. First Day of School part one

Soda's POV

The summer went by way to fast. Ponyboy was back at college and I was busy going through Brianna's pink backpack to make sure thaty she had everything she needed for kindergarten. It was hard to believe that in the morning, I would be taking her to school. Time was going by way to fast.

"Daddy, will I like school?" Brianna asked me. She was watching me go through her backpack.

"You're smart like your uncles," I told her. "I think you'll love school."

"Will the other kids like me?" She asked, as she put a box of new crayons into the front pocket of the backpack.

"I don't see why they wouldn't," I replied. I zipped up the backpack and looked at her. "It's time for you to take your bath and get ready for bed."

"Now?" Brianna didn't look to happy about the idea of going to bed early.

"You have to get up early for school," I explained. "Which means going to bed earlier."

Brianna got up slowly and disappeared into her bedroom and soon the bathroom, yelling for me to turn the water on because she had trouble turning the faucet. After I filled up the bath tub with water for her, including a capful of Mr. Bubble, I went back into the living room and sat down on the couch just as the phone rang rang.

"Hello?" I answered the phone, wondering who could be calling me.

"Soda?" It was Ponyboy and I found myself grinning.

"Pony! I wasn't expecting to hear from you," I said.

Ponyboy laughed. "Well, I wanted to call and see if Brianna's excited about starting school tomorrow. I wish I could be there to see her go to her first day of school."

"I'm sure Brianna wishes you were here too," I replied. "And I think she's a little nervous and excited."

"Can I talk to her?" Pony asked.

"She's taking a bath now, but when she gets out you can," I told him. "How are things in Oklahoma City?"

"Pretty good," Pony said. "Patsy and I went for a walk in one of the parks after class today."

He went on to tell me about some of his classes and the time he spent with Patsy. I knew Patsy was special to him, and I became fond of her when she was in town for his birthday. Darry liked her, too and said that she was good for him.

"So, do you think you and Patsy are going to be together for awhile?" I asked.

"I hope so," Ponyboy replied.

Brianna appeared in front of me, wearing the shirt Ponyboy had sent her for her birthday back in March and holding a comb.

"Guess who's on the phone?" I said as I took the comb from her and waited for her to sit on my lap so I could comb the tangles out of her hair.

"Uncle Pony?"

"Yes, and he wants to talk to you," I said handing her the phone.

Brianna's POV

"Hi, Uncle Pony," I said when daddy handed the phone to me. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too, sweetie," Uncle Pony told me. "Are you excited about your first day of school tomorrow?"

"Uh huh," I said. "I have all my things in a pink backpack. Daddy and Uncle Darry took me shopping yesterday for everything."

"Did you get everything you need?" Uncle Pony asked.

"Daddy says I did," I replied. "Uncle Darry even bought me a pink and blue dress to wear tomorrow."

"I'll bet you'll be the prettiest girl in yor class," Uncle Pony told me as daddy tapped my shoulder.

"I think daddy wants to talk to you again," I said.

"Okay, have fun in school tomorrow. I'll call again later in the week to see how you're liking it," Uncle Pony said before I handed the phone back to daddy.

"Sorry, I had to interrupt your conversation, Pony, but I have to get Brianna to bed now. I'll talk to you later," Daddy said and after a saying bye too Uncle Pony, he hung up the phone. "Okay, lets get to bed."

"I'm not tired," I told daddy.

"I know, but you have to go to bed. This is hard for me to get used to, too," Daddy told me as we walked to my bedroom. "But, this will get easier. I know it will."

Soda's POV

The next morning was probably one of the most hectic mornings I've had in a long time. I had trouble waking up Brianna who had taken a long time to fall asleep the night before and I had to make sure that her hair looked decent, pulling it into a ponytale. Then, I had to fix breakfast, eggs because it was the easiest thing to make. I was glad that I had frosted the cake before I went to bed. Before I knew it, it was time for us to go.

"Are you ready?" I asked Brianna as I handed her the pink backpack.

"I think so," Brianna mumbled as she followed me out the door just as Steve was leaving his apartment. He was going to drive us to the school and then he and I were going to go to work. "Steve, I'm starting school today."

"I know," Steve told her. "I'm going to be taking you there."

"Everyday?" Brianna asked.

"Two-Bit will take you to school sometimes," I told her. "But, yes Steve will be taking you on most days. We live too close to the school for you to take the bus and I don't think you're old enough to walk by yourself yet. Besides, you'd have to cross a busy street and I don't want you to get hurt."

We went downstairs to Steve's car and in a few minutes, we were pulling into the school's parking lot.

"I'll wait out here," Steve said and Brianna gave him her best sad face.

"You're not going to comeinside with me and daddy?" She asked.

Steve grinned. "Okay, I'll go with."

As soon as we walked inside the school, Brianna grabbed my hand and walked close to me. She was looking at all the older kids who were walking past. As we walked down the hall to where her class would be. It was a brightly colored room with a pretend kitchen in the corner. I could see other kids and parents there. The boys were all playing with blocks and cars while the girls were playing with dolls or the dress up clothes. I knew Brianna wasn't going to be interested in playing dress up or with dolls and I wondered how the other kids would react to that. But, I figured it would be okay.

"Hi, you must be Brianna Curtis," Mrs. Jones said as she walked up to us. She would be Brianna's teacher. Just like she had been Ponyboy's kindergarten teacher back when she first started teaching. I was surprised to see that she was still teaching there. "And you must be Soda."

"That's right," I said. I nodded towards Steve. "This is my friend, Steve. Brianna wanted him to come in, too."

"Well, the first day of school is a little scary for young children," Mrs. Jones said. "Even if they don't admit it."

"Steve and I have to go to work," I said, letting go of Brianna's hand. "I'll be back later to get you, Brianna. Have fun."

Steve and I left the class room then, walking past another little girl who was crying and clinging onto her mother's leg. I turned to look at Brianna one last time and saw that she was looking between where the boys were playing and the where the girls were playing. I could tell that she was trying to decide what to do. Finally, she slowly walked over to where a girl with curly hair was putting together a puzzle.

"Wow, she's in kindergarten already," Steve commented to me as we walked back to his car.

"I know," I replied. "It's hard to believe that she's in school now. My little girl is growing up."

Steve nodded and looked back at the school as we got into his car. "You know, the school seems a lot smaller now that we're older."

I didn't reply as we left the parking lot. I was to busy looking forward to picking up Brianna from school in a few hours and finding out how she liked it.


	14. First Day of School part two

Brianna's POV

After daddy left, I watched another girl put together a puzzle of Humpty Dumpty until the teacher had us walk into a smaller room.

"You can each choose a hook and shelf to keep your stuuf for the year," the teacher said.

I chose a hook and shelf next to the one the girl who had been playing with the puzzle chosen. She looked at me and gave me a small smile.

"My name's Emma," she told me. "What's your name?"

"Brianna," I told her.

"I like your name. It's pretty," Emma said.

"Okay class, come back into the classroom and I'll give you each a name tag to wear so I can know who you are," the teacher said. "And you can all call me Mrs. Jones. We're going to have a fun time learning this year."

"When do we eat?" A boy with dark hair asked.

Mrs. Jones smiled. "Snack time isn't for awhile. But since you asked, every day we'll have a snack of a cookie and a carton of milk. On holiday's each of you will have to bring a treat to share with the class and we'll have each child who celebrates their birthday during the month bring in a special treat to share on the last Friday of the month."

"Like a birthday party?" Emma asked.

"That's right," Mrs. Jones told her as we all walked back into the classroom. She gave each of us a name tag which looked like an apple with a string through it so we could put it on and take it off with no help. "Now, let's all sit on the magic carpet and I want each of you to say your name and one thing you did over the summer. We'll start over here on my left."

"My name is Sam Nelson and I went swimming," the boy who asked when we would eat said.

"My name is Mary Franklin," said a girl in a pink dress that had lots of ruffles and a big bow in the back said. "I went to Paris and I got to eat real French food."

"Um, my name is Matt Davis and my dad took me camping," a boy with blue eyes and dark hair said quietly.

"My name is Emma Lewis and I went to Disneyland," Emma said.

"Wow, that sounds like fun," Mrs. Jones commented. She looked at me. "You're turn.

"My name is Brianna Curtis and my Uncle Ponyboy taught me how to read," I said, feeling shy.

"Ponyboy?" Mary asked looking at me. "That's a stupid name. You must have a weird family."

"I think Ponyboy is a lovely name," Mrs. Jones said. "And I was his teacher when he was in kindergarten. Your father's name is Sodapop, right?"

I nodded.

"That's a stupid name, too," Mary commented.

"Not as stupid as that dress," Sam told her.

"My mommy bought this dress in Paris," Mary said. "It cost lots of money."

"Okay, that's enough," Mrs. Jones said. "I don't want the word stupid to be used in this class anymore, okay?"

We all nodded and the rest of the class told their names and what they did over the summer. Then, we listened to a story. For snack time, we had an Oreo cookie with milk. I liked kindergarten, but I didn't like Mary, she kept giving me funny looks and every time she was next to me, she would whisper that my daddy and Uncle Pony's names were stupid. I wanted to hit her. But I knew I couldn't.

Soda's POV

At around lunch time, I found myself walking to Brianna's classroom to pick her up. The halls were a lot quieter now that all the students were in class. Only an occassional kindergartener with a parent passed me as I walked down the hall. When I entered Brianna's classroom, I was glad to see that she was playing with some of the kids, one of them being the girl she had walked up to as I was leaving that morning.

"Brianna, you're dad's here for you," Mrs. Jones said when she saw me.

I watched as Brianna said good-bye to the other kids and ran to give me a hug. "Hi, daddy!"

"Hey, sweetie," I laughed. "Are you ready to go?"

"I have to get my backpack," Brianna told me before going to get it from the little room wear the kindergartners kept their coats and stuff. I remembered that there were also bathrooms in there for the kids so they wouldn't have to use the other bathrooms in the school. Brianna appeared a minute later and we walked out of the classroom just as a mom in expensive looking clothes walked in.

"Mary, you're mom's here," Mrs. Jones said, just like she had when I had walked in to get Brianna.

I noticed that Brianna turned and I looked, too, only to see a little girl in a dress that was way to fancy for school run up to the mother, her curly hair bouncing as she ran.

"That's some dress," I mumbled as Brianna and I started to walk down the hall.

"I don't like her," Brianna announced and I looked at her in surprise.

"It's only the first day," I told her as I pushed the door to the school open so we could go outside. "You don't even know her yet."

"She said that Sodapop and Ponyboy are stupid names," Brianna replied. "She said we have a weird family."

"Well, as far as I know I'm the only person around named Sodapop and I don't think I've heard of another Ponyboy, so maybe she thinks our family is weird because she's not used to names that aren't used all the time," I explained.

"She kept talking about Paris," Brianna said. She took my hand so we could cross the street. I had decided to walk to the school from the DX station instead of taking Steve's car and we were walking back to the DX which was only about six blocks away.

"Paris, huh?" I asked. "Her family must have a lot of money."

Brianna shrugged. "She did tell us that her dress cost a lot."

"Well, I want you to get to know her a little more before you decide to like her or not," I said. "Would you want someone to say they didn't like you if they only met you once?"

"No," Brianna said softly. "But I don't like her telling me that your name and Uncle Pony's name are stupid."

"I know you don't," I told her. "But you have to give her a chance. Maybe she isn't as bad as she seems."

"Okay," Brianna said. By then we had arrived at the DX and she was running into Steve's outstretched arms.

"How was your first day of school?" Steve asked after hugging her.

"Good," Brianna replied.

"One of the little girls said that Pony and I have stupid names," I said as I joined them. "I was just telling Brianna to get to know the girl better before she decides not to like her."

I wasn't expecting Brianna to become friends with the little girl, but I didn't want her to have enemies right away in kindergarten. And I certainly didn't want her to end up in a social class battle like her uncles and I were in. It was bad enough that she had to watch Ponyboy get jumped by the socs at the Nightly Double at the beginning of the summer, now I had to worry about her getting involved in a social class battle in kindergarten where you call each other names more than you actually fight.


	15. Chapter 15

Brianna's POV

A few weeks after I started kindergarten, the school held an open house for the parents and other family members. Daddy told me that the school always has an open house towards the end of September, even when he was a kid.

"Uncle Darry, come see my desk," I said as I pulled me to where my desk was. It was towards the front of the class since the first letter of my last name is at the beginning of the alphabet. I opened my desk and let Uncle Darry see inside. "I don't have much in here."

"You'll have more," He told me. "It's still the beginning of the school year."

"We went to the library here today," I told him. "I got to take out two books."

"Did you start reading them yet?" He asked as we walked across the room where daddy was looking at the pictures that Mrs. Jones had us draw during art time.

I shook my head. "I helped Steve clean the garage at the DX and then we went to your house for dinner. The books are still in my backpack."

"I should take you to the public library sometime to check out books," Uncle Darry told me. "Ponyboy told me that you had fun selecting which books to take out while he was here over the summer." 

"They have a lot of books there," I commented. I looked up at him. "I miss Uncle Ponyboy. When is he coming home again?"

"He'll be home for Thanksgiving," Uncle Darry answered. "That's still almost two months away."

"That's a long time," I said.

"It is," Uncle Darry agreed. "But he calls you, right?"

I grinned. "Yes, and daddy lets me draw pictures to send to him. Uncle Pony told me that he hangs them above his desk."

"Hey Darry, look at this picture that Brianna drew of us," Soda said to Uncle Darry as he pointed at the picture that I had drawn.

Soda's POV

Darry looked at the picture that Brianna had drawn and smiled. "That's a really good picture, Brianna."

"Daddy, when Mrs. Jones lets me bring the picture home, can we send it to Uncle Pony?" Brianna asked me.

"Of course we can," I replied.

"She did a good job, didn't she?" Mrs. Jones asked as she joined me. "I remember that Ponyboy used to like drawing, too."

"He still does," Darry replied. "I think that's where Brianna gets it from because Soda here can't sit still long enough to draw a stick person."

"Hey, I can draw a stick person," I protested before turning to Mrs. Jones. "Brianna is doing okay in class, right?"

Mrs. Jones noded. "Oh yes, she's a joy to have in my class. I have noticed that one of our other students has been trying to give her a hard time, but other than that, there hasn't been any problems."

"The one who thinks my name is weird?" I asked.

Mrs. Jones laughed. "That would be the one. I take it Brianna has talked to you about it?"

I nodded. "Yes, and I told her to try to get to know the other girl."

"That's good advise," Mrs. Jones told me. "I should say hello to some of the other parents."

Mrs. Jones walked away and I turned to find that Brianna had led Darry to the pretend kitchen where her new friend Emma and her parents were standing.

Darry's POV

"Uncle Darry, this is my friend Emma," Brianna told me.

"Hi, Emma," I said.

Soda joined us and put his hands on Brianna's shoulders. "You move too quick, Brianna. Hi, I'm Soda. I'm Brianna's father."

Soda shook hands with Emma's parents and smiled at Emma.

"Soda and Darry?" Emma's father asked. "Do you have a brother named Ponyboy?"

"Yes, he's away at college now in Oklahoma City," I replied.

"You must be proud of him," Emma's mother said. "I know I would be if he were my son."

"Yes," Emma's father agreed. "We owe your brother a huge thank you."

"For what?" Soda asked.

"We have another daughter who is eleven now," Emma's father told us. "She was one of the kids that your brother saved from that church fire. If it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't be here. She was Emma's age at the time."

"We visited the other young man in the hospital before he did," Emma's mother said. "Alice cried when we told her that he had died. But we never got the chance to thank your brother."

"He'll be here in Novenmber for the Thanksgiving play," Soda told them. "You can thank him then in person. He'd like to know that at least one of those kids is doing okay."

"That's right," I agreed.

"We should get going," Emma's father said. "We have to pick up Alice from a friend's house."

"Speaking of friend's houses," Soda said. "Why don't we arrange for Emma and Brianna to play together outside of school sometime."

"That would be nice," Emma's mother said. "Emma has been asking if Brianna can come over. Here, I'll give you our phone number and you can call us."

Soda and Emma's parents exchanged phone numbers before Emma and her parents left.

"Uncle Pony was in a fire?" Brianna asked after Emma had left.

"Yes, but maybe we should let him tell you about it," Soda told her.

"It's a small world," I commented as the three of us left the classroom. "Who would have thought that Brianna would end up being in the same class as the sister of a kid that Ponyboy rescued in that fire?"

"I know," Soda agreed. "I'll have to remember to mention it to him when we talk on the phone again. He'd want to hear about this."

"Can we call him when we get home?" Brianna asked Soda.

"I'm sorry sweetie, it's getting late and by the time we get home, it'll be time for you to go to bed," Soda replied. "Maybe we can call him tomorrow."

"Okay," Brianna said and I could tell that she was a little disappointed. I know she looks forward to talking to Ponyboy on the phone. Just like she looks forward to coming over to the house on Fridays after school so she can be with me for the afternoon.


	16. Halloween Costume and Pizza Making

Steve's POV   
"What do you want to do tonight?" I asked Brianna. It was a few days before Halloween and I was watching Brianna while Soda worked the night shift at the DX.   
"I'm supposed to come up with a costume to wear for Halloween," Brianna told me. "There's going to be a parade at the school."   
Aw, the annual Halloween parade. I remembered that. All the students were involved and would walk through the classrooms and halls to show off their costumes. And every year, the kindergartners were the first ones in the parade and the sixth graders were last.   
"Well, what are you going to be?" I asked. "A princess?"   
Brianna hook her head. "Mary is going to be a princess. Her mommy already made her dress."   
"Do you have any ideas?" I asked.   
"I want to dress like you and daddy do for work," Brianna told me and I smiled.   
"You want to be a gas station attendant?" I asked and Brianna nodded. "I think we can arrange that. I think I have an extra shirt and hat in my closet. Why don't we go find them and put your costume together?'   
"I can't be clean," Brianna told me as she foolowed me to my bedroom.   
"I'm sure Soda will buy black face paint so you can look like you've been working on cars," I told her. "I wouldn't allow you to be a clean gas station attendant."   
"I bet I'll be the only one there dressed like you and daddy," Brianna told me as I put a DX hat on her head and searched through my closet for a DX shirt.   
"You're probably right," I agreed. I found the shirt and handed it to Brianna. She put it on and I smiled, remembering the time when she was two and I had put a DX uniform on her. She had grown since then, but the shirt and hat were still big on her. But the hat did fit a little better even if it did still fall in her eyes.   
"Can you roll up the sleeves?" Brianna asked me and I knelt down to roll up the sleeves so that she really could look like Soda and me.   
"You are the cutest gas station attendant I have ever seen," I told her. "I think you should win the costume contest. They do still have a costum contest, right?"   
Brianna nodded. "I'm hungry, can we eat?"   
I laughed. "Of course we can. How would you like to have pizza?"   
"Really?" Brianna asked. "Are we going to go to a restaraunt?"   
"No, we're going to make it ourselves. All we have to do is add the toppings, I already did everything else," I told her.   
Brianna took my hand and led me to the kitchen. I knew she would be excied about making pizza. She loved helping in the kitchen.   
Brianna's POV   
Steve had me take of the shirt and hat before I helped with the pizza. I went into the living room and put them on the couch and returned to the kitchen where Steve had set the pizza crust on the table. He had already put the sauce on it and he had all the toppings in bowls.   
"What should I put on it?" I asked.   
"Put on whatever you want," Steve told me.   
I took a handful of cheese and put it on the pizza. Then, I put on the little red circles of meat and green peppers.   
"That's looking good, Brianna," Steve told me. "Can you put sausage on it for me? I like sausage."   
I found the bowl with the sausage on it and put that on the pizza, too. I also put on more cheese.   
"Is it ready to put in the oven?" Steve asked and I nodded. He put the pizza in the oven and turned to face me. "Why don't we play a game while we wait for the pizza to cook? I bought Candy Land the other day. I think you'll like it."   
"How do you play?" I asked.   
"Come into the living room and I'll show you," Steve replied. "We have almst an hour before the pizza will be done."   
Soda's POV   
I got to Steve's that night after work and was greeted by my daughter wearing a DX uniform.   
"Do you like my halloween costume, daddy?" Brianna asked me as she gave me a kiss on my oil streaked cheek.   
"Costume?" I asked. "I thought you were going to go work for me."   
"No, silly," Brianna laughed. "I'm going to wear this for halloween. Steve said you could make my face look dirty like yours."   
"I told her that you might get black face paint to smear over her face," Steve told me.   
"I think we can arrange that," I said. "I take it you had fun tonight?" "Steve taught me how to play Candy Land and we made a pizza," Brianna told me.   
"Pizza?" I asked. "Well, aren't you a lucky girl."   
"There's still some left if you want any," Steve told me. "Brianna did a good job with it."   
"Well, I haven't had dinner yet," I admitted.   
"So, go help yourself," Steve told me. "Brianna and I can have dessert while you eat the pizza."   
"Ice cream?" Brianna asked.   
Steve put his hand on her shoulder as the three of us walked to the kitchen.   
"Cookies and cream," Steve told her.   
While Steve got the ice cream out for him and Brianna, I helped myself to a slice of their pizza. It was good just like Steve said it was.   
"Daddy, are you going to come to the halloween party?" Brianna asked me. The kindergarten classes were having a halloween party in addition to being involved with the school parade. I had asked Darry to find our mom's old brownie recipe because I wanted Brianna to take those for her treat to share just like Darry, Ponyboy and I had when we were in kindergarten.   
"I wouldn't miss it," I told her. "Uncle Darry is going to be there, too."   
I didn't tell her that Ponyboy was also going to be making a special trip up from school for the day. He had asked me to keep it a secret so that he could surprise Brianna when he walked into her classroom for the party. And I knew that Brianna was going to be very surprised and happy to see her Uncle Pony there. 


	17. Halloween part one

Brianna's POV

"Daddy, can you roll up these sleeves?" I asked, walking into the kitchen where daddy was making breakfast.

"I didn't know you were working with Steve and me today," Daddy teased me as he rolled the sleeves up on the DX shirt that Steve let me use for my Halloween costume. "Don't you have school?"

"Daddy, this is my Halloween costume," I laughed.

Daddy set a plate of orange pancakes and bacon on the table. He also set out a bottle of chocolate syrup. "Eat your breakfast, then I'll help you finish your costume."

I carefully poured some chocolate syrup on my pancakes and took a bite of my bacon. "Do you think that paint will work?"

"I hope so," Daddy replied. "You can't be a gas station attendant with a clean face now, can you? Which reminds me, I brought a used rag home from work yesterday that you can have hanging out of your pocket."

"Just like you and Steve," I said.

"That's right," Daddy told me.

"I wish Uncle Pony was here so he could see my costume," I said with my mouth full.

Daddy smiled at me. "We'll take a picture and send it to him, okay? That way he can see it everyday."

Soda's POV

Brianna didn't know it, but Ponyboy was at Darry's house as we spoke. He had arrived the night before and even called to let me know he was looking forward to surprising Brianna. Of course, when I let Brianna talk to him, he pretended that he was still away at school.

"Daddy, let's finish my costume!" Brianna said, jumping off her chair.

I looked at her plate and noticed that she only ate half her pancakes. "Don't you want to finish your breakfast, sweetie?"

"I'm too excited to eat," Brianna told me. "I've never been a part of a party at school before."

"Okay, let's go into the bathroom and finish your costume," I said, following her.

In the bathroom, I pulled her hair into a ponytail before smearing the black face paint that I had bought onto her cheeks and nose. I even put some of the paint on her arms. By the time I was finished, she looked like me after a day at work.

"Soda, are you almost ready?" Steve called from the living room. I had unlocked the door so he could come in.

"Steve! Daddy just helped me finish my costume!" Brianna yelled, running out of the bathroom.

Steve's POV

I grinned when I saw Brianna. She looked just like Soda in the DX uniform. "Wow! I knew this costume would look good, but I didn't know it'd look this good."

Soda came into the living room and picked up Brianna, turning her upside down. "Yeah, it did turn out good, didn't it?"

"Daddy, put me down!" Brianna laughed. Soda set her down on the floor and she looked at me. "Are you coming to the party my class is having today, Steve?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Brianna, I have to watch the station. But I'll go 'trick or treating' with you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," Brianna said turning to Soda. "Uncle Darry is coming, right?"

"Of course he is," Soda told her as he winked at me. He had told me at work that Ponyboy was making a special trip home for Brianna's Halloween party.

"We should get going," I said. "I'm sure Brianna wants to show off her costume to her friends."

Brianna's POV

When I got to school, Emma ran up to me. She was dressed like a witch. "Brianna, I like your costume. You look just like your dad."

"Thank you," I replied as I hung my backpack on my hook.

Mary walked up to us. "You dressed like your dad, Brianna? That's dumb. Why would you want to do that?"

"Why did you want to be a princess?" I asked, looking at the pink dress she had on and the sparkly crown on her head.

"Princesses are pretty like me," Mary said before walking away, her curly hair bouncing as she went.

"My daddy is wrong," I said.

"What?" Emma asked.

"I can't be friends with Mary. She's too mean," I said.

"My sister said girls like Mary are stuck up," Emma said. "I don't know what that means, but I don't think it's good."

I nodded as we walked into the classroom where everyone was showing off their costumes. Even Mrs. Jones had dressed up as a black cat. She smiled when she saw us and handed us our name tags. "Great costumes, girls."

Soda's POV

Later that morning, Darry and Ponyboy stopped by the DX station so we could go to Brianna's Halloween party together. Ponyboy smiled at me when I got into the truck. "She doesn't know I'm here, does she?"

"She has no idea," I assured him. "She thinks I'm going to take a pictureof her this afternoon so we can send it to you."

"You can still send me a picture of her in the costume," Pony told me as we got out of the truck and walked towards the school.

When we entered the school, he looked around. Probably thinking the same things Darry, Steve and I had thought the first week Brianna was in school.

"There she is," Darry said. He grinned at Pony and me. "I have an idea. Pony, why don't you go inside and Soda and I will stay out here for a few minutes."

"Okay," Pony agreed. "Soda, she looks just like you, dressed like that."

I watched as Ponyboy walked into the classroom and exchanged a look with Darry. "She is going to be very surprised to see him."

Ponyboy's POV

I slowly walked across the room to where Brianna was talking with a girl dressed as a witch and another girl was dressed like a princess.

"Mary, there's nothing wrong with Brianna's costume," The witch was saying. "She can dress like her daddy if she wants."

"But that's dumb," Princess Mary said. "Why would anyone wantto dress like that? It's as stupid as her dad and uncle's names."

"Ponyboy and Sodapop are not stupid names!" Brianna told the princess. From the sound of her voice, I could tell she was close to crying and remembered that she had told me about this girl named Mary over the phone.

"That's right," I said stepping in. "They are not stupid names. Original, yes, but not stupid."

When Brianna saw me, she hugged me. "Uncle Pony, what are you doing here?"

"I'm a secret wizard and I came to destroy all princesses who call names stupid," I told her with a wink asMary walked away. "Maybe you should try to say away from her. I don't think she's going be a friend f yours."

"I don't either," Brianna told me. Then she pointed at the little witch who was now looking shyly up at me. "But, this is my friend Emma. She's nice."

I smiled at Emma. "Hi, Emma. So tell me, are you a good witch or a bad witch?"

"I'm a good witch," Emma replied. "My mommy is coming over here with your dad and Uncle Darry, Brianna."

Soda gave Brianna a kiss on the cheek before looking at me. "She's happy to see you."

"I know," I told him.

"We're happy to see you, too," Emma's father said to me.

"But..." I looked at him, confused.

"Six years ago, our older daughter went on a field trip. She was Emma's age at the time. Well, she and several other kids decided to explore the empty church that was there even though they were told not to. While they were inside, the church started on fire," Emma's father said.

"Windrixville," I said, remembering the events as if they had happened yesterday. I could almost feel Johnny standing next to me.

"Yes, you and your friend saved my daughter that day. My wife and I got to thank the other boy, but we never got to thank you, until now," Emma's father told me. "And now your niece is friends with our younger daughter. I hope Brianna grows up to be as willing to help as you were that day. If it weren't for you and the other boy, our older daughter would have died in the church that day."

"Johnny got to meet several of the kids and parents during those several hours before he died," I said. "But, our the first ones I've met. I'm glad I was able to help your daughter. How is she?"

"Bossy," Emma spoke up and I laughed.

"Darry can be bossy, too," I told her. "That's part of being an older sibling."

"Alice is okay. She's in sixth grade now and getting good grades," Emma's mother said. "We should let you visit with your niece and brothers. I'm sure we'll meet again."

I watched as Emma walked away with her parents to show them the decorations that were hangng all over the room. "Soda, you didn't tell me that Brianna was friends with the sister of one of the kids that I helped rescue from that fire."

"Then I guess Brianna isn't the only one who was surprised today," Soda said with a wink. He hugged Brianna. "I think Pony should go 'trick or treating' with you and Steve tonight, Brianna. I'll stay at home in case anyone comes to the apartment looking for candy."

"I have a plastic pumpkin to put my candy in," Brianna told me and I shook my head at Soda.

"Don't tell me that you're expecting her to carry all that candy in a plastic pumpkin," I teased Soda. "She's going to use a pillow case so she can get lots of candy."

Soda grinned at me and Darry laughed while Brianna took my hand and led me to the table where all the treats were set out. I knew she wasn't going to let me out of her sight the rest of the day and I personally had no problem with that.


	18. Halloween Part Two

Steve's POV

I walked into Soda's apartment that evening to find Ponyboy sitting on the couch and Brianna chasing after Soda, asking when she could go trick or treating.

"I told you, you can't go trick or treating until after dinner when it's dark outside," Soda told her. He looked at me with a smile. "She's been asking that all afternoon. I don't know if it's because she knows she's going to be getting candy, or if it's because you and Pony are taking her."

"I think it's a little of both," I said as I tickled Brianna who had come up to me for a hug.

"Why aren't you coming, daddy?" Brianna asked.

"I promised Tim that I would watch Mike, remember?" Soda replied.

At the sound of Tim's two year old kid's name, Ponyboy and I both exchanged a look. That kid was always getting into things and thought that everything was his. And he knew how to throw a tantrum which was how he ended up throwing Brianna's model car at her a few months earlier. I refused to watch the kid unless Tim is really desperate for a sitter.

"He's not going to break any of my things, is he?" Brianna asked, clearly remembering the model incident, too.

"No, I'll make sure of it," Soda said. "Tim's even going to bring some of Mike's toys with so hopefully, he'll be entertained until he goes to sleep."

"Soda, you have got to be out of your mind to be volunteering to watch that little monster," Ponyboy spoke up and I looked at him in surprise. It wasn't like Ponyboy to call little kids monsters. But I had to agree with him.

"Pony, he's only two. He'll grow out of it," Soda told him.

"His father and uncle didn't," Ponyboy mumbled and I smirked. It was true that Mike was the two year old version of his father. Even their sister, Angela, was known for causing trouble.

"Aren't you friends with Curly?" I asked.

"I'm not sure if I would say that," Ponyboy replied. "We really don't talk anymore and I certainly don't need to be getting into trouble."

"Curly's in the cooler for a few years anyway," Soda said. "Dinner's ready if anyone is hungry."

"And then can I go trick or treating?" Brianna asked impatiently and Soda laughed.

"Yes, when you're done with dinner you can go trick or treating."

Brianna's POV

I ate my dinner as fast as I could because I wanted to go out trick or treating. When Uncle Pony and Steve finished with their dinner, I got up from my seat. "Now can we go?"

"Relax Brianna," daddy told me. "There's plenty of time for you to go trick or treating. What's the big rush?"

"She wants candy," Uncle Pony said, placing a hand on my back. "Just like we did when we were little."

Daddy fixed the sleeves on my DX shirt because they were beginning to unroll. "Alright, you can go. But, I want you to stay with Ponyboy and Steve. Hold one of their hands while crossing streets and do whatever they tell you to do."

"I will," I said.

"Good girl," daddy said.

I skipped out the door and down the hall to the stairs that led outside. Uncle Pony and Steve followed. Once we were outside, they took me across the street and looked at me as we stood in front of a house.

"Go up to the door," Steve whispered.

I walked up to the door and knocked on it. A lady with curly hair answered it. "Trick or treat."

"Well, aren't you cute," she said as she dropped a piece of candy in my pumpkin.

The person at the next house said that my costume was good. Another person told me that I looked just like daddy.

"You do look like Soda," Uncle Pony told me when I told him.

I got to go up to lots of houses and got lots of candy. I even got to get some candy at Uncle Darry's. He gave me a big handful, but made me promise to share it. Two-Bit gave me a big candy bar when we stopped by his place. Steve's parents even gave me a few pieces of candy.

"You should call us," Steve's mommy said to him.

"I will," Steve said. "Things have just been busy at the shop."

"Well, I'm glad you brought Soda's daughter over for a few minutes," Steve's mommy said.

We continued to walk down the street, back towards the apartment where Steve and me live when Uncle Pony stopped in front of a house that had no lights on. It looked like no one was home and scared me a little.

"Uncle Pony?" I asked.

"Hey, Pony what's up?" Steve asked, putting a hand on my uncle's shoulder.

"Sometimes I wonder how things would be in that house if Johnny hadn't died," Uncle Pony said.

"You know what it would be like," Steve said. "But, Johnny would be staying with one of us. Trust me. None of us would have let him live in that house if he had survived. He wouldn't have been able to take it."

A face appeared in the window and I screamed. Uncle Pony knelt down and pulled me to him. "It's okay, Brianna. That was just an old friend's mother looking outside to see what's going on."

The door to the house opened and the same person came outside. "Get away from here you no good hoods! Get out before I come after you!"

"Okay, we're going," Steve said. "Although I have a right mind to go after you for scaring my friend's daughter."

"Steve, lets not start anything," Uncle Pony said softly as he stood up and took my hand.

We walked away, and Steve picked up a rock, so hecould throw it across the street. "Even without Johnny there those two are as heartless as ever."

"Who's Johnny?" I asked.

"Remember that picture you were looking at of that dark haired boy earlier?" Uncle Pony asked. I nodded. "That was Johnny."

"Why is his mommy so mean and scary?" I asked.

"I don't know," Uncle Pony told me.

We continued to trick or treat then. And I got more candy. Uncle Pony and Steve saved the apartment building for last because I lived there. I got lots of candy there, too and couldn't wait to show daddy that my pumpkin was full.

Ponyboy's POV

We entered Soda and Brianna's apartment just in time to see Soda catch Mike who was trying to do a cannon ball off the couch and onto the coffee table. The room looked like a tornado had hit it with the toys and ripped up paper lying around. Even the couch cushions were scattered all over the room.

"Mine!" Mike yelled when Soda put him down and he ran straight for Brianna's pumpkin of candy.

"No," Soda said, catching him again only to recieve a loud scream right in his ear as Mike tried to reach for the candy. "That's not your candy. That's Brianna's candy."

"Mine!" Mike screamed as Steve took the pumpkin from Brianna.

"Don't worry, Brianna," Steve said. "I'm just going to bring this to my apartment until Mike goes home."

He left only to return a minute later to Mike laying in the middle of the mess, throwing the biggest tantrum that I'd ever seen him throw. And all because he couldn't have any of Brianna's candy.

"Maybe Brianna should spend the night at your place, Steve," Soda said. "I don't want Mike keeping her up since she has school in the morning."

"But Uncle Pony was going to read me a story," Brianna said.

"He can read it to you at my place," Steve said. "Why don't you go get your things and we'll head over there."

A few minutes later, we walked into Steve's apartment. I noticed right away that he had set the pumpkin on his kitchen table.

"You were certainly quick to get Brianna's candy out of there," I commented.

"Pony, that kid needs to learn that not everything is his," Steve said.

"I never said he didn't," I told him.

"Uncle Pony?" Brianna asked. "Can I hear the story?"

I smiled at her. "Go get ready for bed and then I'll read the story to you."

She walked to the bathroom and I watched as Steve made the couch into a bed for her. When he finished, he looked at me.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked.

"Do you have Pepsi?" I asked.

"One Pepsi coming up," Steve said and he smiled. "I should have known that you'd say that you always did like Pepsi."

"Hey, I drink chocolate milk, too," I said as Steve got me a Pepsi from the ice box.

"Uncle Pony, can I hear the story now?" Brianna asked, coming out of Steve's bathroom. She was wearing the University of Oklahoma t-shirt that I had sent to her. Soda had told me that she wore it to bed almost every night.

"Alright, come lay down on the couch and I'll read you the story," I said, picking up the book from the coffee table where she had set it down. She laid down on the couch and I pulled the covers over her. Then, I sat down on the floor and started to read the book to her. I even had her read a little bit. Soon, she was sound asleep and I finished my Pepsi while Steve washed up a few dishes.

"She sleeps here a lot, doesn't she?" I asked.

"Once a week unless Soda watches Mike," Steve relied.

"Is that often?"

"No," Steve said. "Angela usually watches him. But, she must have gone to the halloween party at Buck's tonight, too."

"So, that's why Soda is watching Mike," I said.

Steve nodded. "And that's why Brianna is spending the night here."

I looked over at Brianna who was curled up into a little ball on the couch. She really seemed to enjoy trick or treating, with the exception of Johnny's mom scaring her. But, halloween was over now, and I had to go back to school in the morning. Which meant that I would have to say good-bye to her in the morning and remind her that I would be back in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.


	19. Mary's Birthday Party

Soda's POV

"I don't want to go to Mary's birthday party," Brianna said the Saturday before Thanksgiving. She had begged me not to let her go to her classmate's party, but I thought it would be a good idea for her to go.

"Brianna, other kids will be there," I told her. "Emma will be there. I'll bet she'll miss you if you don't show up."

"But daddy, Mary's mean. She doesn't even like me," Brianna said.

"Well, you're still going," I replied. "It's only for two hours. And maybe you'll end up having fun."

"Maybe," Brianna sighed as she sat down on the couch to watch the cartoon that was on the television. She wasn't happy about having to go to the party, but I wasn't going to let her miss it just because she didn't like the other girl. Besides, they were only in kindergarten, how bad could a little birthday party be?

Brianna's POV

"That's a big house," I said when daddy and I got to Mary's house.

"Yeah, it is," daddy agreed. "I'll be back later to pick you up."

"I still don't want to go," I told him.

"Will you go if I promise to have a surprise for you at home?" Daddy asked.

"A kitty?" I asked. Emma had a kitty at her house and I wanted one of my own.

Daddy laughed. "No, not today. Look, there's Emma. Why don't you go join her?"

"Alright," I said as I got out of the car. I waved as daddy drove away in Steve's car and ran across the yard to where Emma was.

"I was starting to wonder if you were going to come," Emma said when she saw me.

"Daddy said I had to," I replied.

"Come on in girls," Mary's mommy said as she held the door open. "We're just about ready to play pin the candle on the birthday cake."

"I like this game," Emma told me with a smile.

"I've never played it," I said as Mary's mommy led us to a big room with lots of toys.

"Mama, can we play now?" Mary asked.

We played pin the candle on the birthday cake and musical chairs before having chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Then, Mary opened her presents. She got a few Barbie dolls and clothes to go with them. I gave her some ribbons to put in her hair.

After Mary opened her presents, we all got to play with her toys. She had a lot of dolls and stuffed animals.

"Do you have dolls?" Mary asked me.

"Yes," I told her. "I have dolls."

"Why don't I ever see your mommy?" She asked.

"I don't have a mommy," I told her.

"Everyone has a mommy," Mary told me.

"I don't," I said.

"How come?" She asked.

"I don't know," I whispered. "My daddy doesn't talk about her."

"Brianna, you're dad's here," Mary's mommy said.

I said bye to Mary and then Emma before going outside to the car where daddy was was waiting for me.

Soda's POV

"Did you have a good time?" I asked when Brianna got into the car. She nodded and I smiled. "I told you that you'd have fun."

"Daddy?" She asked as I pulled away from the curb.

"Yes sweetie?"

Brianna looked at me. "Why don't I have a mommy?"


	20. Where's Mommy?

Soda's POV

I knew since the day Sandy left Brianna with me that I would have to answer the question that Brianna just asked. Now that time was here and I was still unsure of how to answer it. After all, I didn't even have an answer as to why Sandy left. Only Sandy knew and there was no way she could tell me and Brianna why she left.

"Daddy?" Brianna looked at me as I pulled into the parking lot outside of our apartment building.

"Did someone ask about your mommy?" I asked as we got out of the car.

Brianna nodded. "Mary said that everyone has a mommy."

"You did have a mommy," I told her a minute later as we walked into the apartment.

"But where is she?" Brianna asked. "Why haven't I seen her?"

"Go sit on the car," I told her. "I'll be right back."

I went into my bedroom and took an old shoe box down from the shelf in my closet. Inside the box were some pictures of Sandy and a few notes she had written to me while we were dating. When Sandy left the first time, I wasn't ready to give up what was in that box. I still had some hope that she would come back. When she left the second time, I knew I had to keep the box because Brianna would need to know about her mother.

"What's in the box?" Brianna asked when I returned to the living room.

I sat down next to her and opened the box. "These are some pictures of your mommy. She was sixteen when they were taken."

Brianna took out a picture and looked at it. "She's pretty."

"Yes, she was very pretty," I agreed as I looked at the picture of the girl I had been in love with when I was sixteen.

"Where is she?" Brianna asked.

"Well," I said, trying to think of the best way to answer her. "When your mommy and I were dating, we were in love with each other. Or at least I was in love with her. When she told me that she was pregnant, I had everything figured out. I was going to marry her and help raise the baby. We were going to be the perfect little family. But she left to go live in Florida and said that the baby wasn't mine. She had been seeing someone else while she was seeing me."

"I'm someone else's kid?" Brianna gave me a worried look and I put my arm around her.

"No, you're not someone else's kid," I told her. "A month after you were born, Sandy came back and asked me to take this test that can prove if a child is yours or not. The other guy she had been seeing gave her the money to pay for the test."

"And it said you were my daddy?" Brianna asked.

"That's right," I replied.

"Were you happy?" She looked at me.

"Of course I was," I answered. "I had been hoping that you were really my baby."

"Was mommy happy that you're my daddy," Brianna asked.

"I don't know," I said. "As soon as we got the test results, she handed you to me and left. She never came back."

"She didn't want me?" Brianna asked and I could hear in her voice that she wanted to cry.

"Honey, she was still very young and having a baby at such a young age was frowned upon," I told her. "I also think that the idea of raising a child scared. Also, she didn't have the same support from her family that I had from Darry and Ponyboy."

"Did you want me?" Brianna asked as she moved onto my lap.

"There was no way I was going to give you up," I replied as I kissed the top of her head. "And I wish your mommy was here to see you."

"Why?"

"Because she's missing out on seeing you grow up," I said. "I got to see all of your firsts when you were a baby and she didn't."

"Really?" Brianna gave me a small smile.

"Really," I said, smiling back at her. "In fact, a few days after your mommy left, you smiled for the first time when you saw me leaning over your crib."

"I did?" Brianna asked.

I nodded. "And your first laugh was when Ponyboy was reading a story to you. He's always loved reading to you. Which reminds me, I promised a surprise for you when you got home from the birthday party."

"I forgot I was getting a surprise," Brianna admitted. I guess she was too worried about who her mommy was.

"It's in your bedroom," I said. "Why don't you go see what it is."

Brianna's POV

I went to my bedroom and pushed the door open.

"It's about time," Uncle Pony said, standing up from my bed. "I was starting to wonder if I was going to be here until Christmas."

"Daddy was telling me about my mommy," I told him as he picked me up.

"I heard," Uncle Pony told me. "And you know that your daddy, myself, Darry, Steve, and Two-Bit would never leave you like that, right?"

"You always leave to go to school," I reminded him.

"But I always come back," Uncle Pony said. "I'm here all week for Thanksgiving break. Maybe on Friday, the two of us can talk Darry into putting up the Christmas tree."

"We need a tree here," daddy said from the dorrway. "Brianna, do you want to go to Steve's and ask him if he wants to go to Darry's with us for dinner?"

"Okay," I said as Uncle Pony put me down so that I could go over to Steve's.

Ponyboy's POV

"So, she asked about Sandy," I said after Brianna had left.

Soda sighed. "Yeah, and I hope I gave her a good enough answer."

"Sounded good enough to me," I told him.

"I guess," Soda replied. "I just wish I knew why Sandy left. It was hard trying to answer Brianna when I don't know the answer myself."

"Well, maybe your answer was partly why Sandy left. Maybe she was scared of raising a baby," I said. "You've certainly had your moments when you've questioned if you were doing things right."

"True," Soda admitted as he sat down on Brianna's bed. "And I think Brianna and I are getting along alright. We may not have a lot, but we have what we need."

"You have each other," I told him. "Plus, you have me and Darry."

Soda smiled as he put his arm around me. "Just like I said, we have what we need."


	21. Chapter 21

Soda's POV

I woke up to the newest addition to the family walking on me. For Christmas, Steve had got Brianna a kitten from a local animal shelter. But instead of spending it's time around Brianna, the cat seemed to like being under my feet if I was trying to get somewhere or it was walking on me like it was now.

"Will you get off me?" I asked the gray ball of fur that was looking at me with blue eyes.

"Daddy, Steve's here," Brianna yelled.

"I'll be there in a minute," I called back as I set the kitten on the floor. After I got dressed, I went out into the living room where Brianna and Steve were using a shoe string to play with the kitten.

"Daddy, look at Pepper," Brianna said when I sat down next to her. She waved the shoe string in front of Pepper.

"Yeah, I see her," I replied.

"Maybe you should move into an apartment downstairs," Steve said. "Maybe Pepper could catch you some mice."

"No, mice are icky," Brianna said and Steve laughed.

"Did you feed Pepper yet?" I asked Brianna.

"I put some food and milk out for her, but she didn't eat any of it," Brianna replied. "She only eats when she wants to."

"Your dad probably sneaks her fish when no one is looking," I heard Steve whisper to Brianna.

Pepper jumped up on the arm of the couch next to where I was sitting and nudged my arm until I started to pet the top of her head. She had really soft fur that was short. I was glad she wasn't a long hair cat, but I also knew that there would still be cat hair all over everything.

"We should get you to school," I said to Brianna. "And when we get home tonight, you can clean out Pepper's litter box."

Brianna wrinkled her nose at the mention of the litter box. "The litter box always stinks."

"Yes, but she's your cat," I reminded her. "And remember that if you clean the litter box every day, you get ten cents at the end of the week."

I had decided shortly before Christmas that it was time to start giving Brianna an allowance every week for doing her chores. She got ten cents for cleaning the litter box, fifty cents for helping me with the dishes, and another fifty cents for cleaning her room. So far, she had been doing a good job with her chores. The only one I had to remind her about was the litter box, although I had to agree that it wasn't a pleasant task to do.

"How much money do you have saved up?" Steve asked Brianna. He knows about her allowance and is always asking how much money she has.

"Well, she bought a candy bar yesterday at the DX," I said. "But I think she still has a few dollars."

Brianna tried to be good with her money, but liked to use it to buy candy when she came to the DX. She does know that if she doesn't spend it at one time, that she can save it to buy a new toy or game. I even try to encourage her to put some of her allowance in her piggy bank every week so that she can't spend all of it.

"I gave you half of my candy bar," Brianna told me and I smiled.

"Yes, you did," I agreed. "I'm glad I have a daughter who likes to share her candy."

The three of us left the apartment then to take Brianna to school before Steve and I had to go to work. As I pulled the door shut behind me, I saw Pepper looking at me from the couch where she had stretched out to take a nap which seemed to be one of her favorite activities other than bothering me.

Once we were outside in Steve's car, Brianna announced that her class was having a Valentines day party and that she needed to get Valentines for her classmates and teacher.

"We still have a few weeks to do that," I told her.

"I want nice Valentines," Brianna said. "Not ones that a boy would buy."

"What's wrong with the ones a boy would buy?" Steve asked. He pointed at me. "Your dad and I are boys."

"I know," Brianna said with a giggle. "I just want to get cute Valentines, but you can get the other kind if you want."

"Nah, I don't buy Valentines anymore," Steve replied.

"Why?" Brianna asked.

"Because I don't have a class of twenty-five other kids to share them with," Steve told her with a wink.

"That's true," Brianna said as she nodded. Then she smiled. "But you can get me one if you want."

"I'll remember that," Steve said as he stopped the car in front of the school's entrance. I no longer had to walk with Brianna to the class room. "Have a good day at school, Brianna."

Brianna gave each of us a hug before she ran inside the building where Emma was waiting for her. The two of them did almost everything together at school. It was rare to enter their class room and see one without the other. I could almost see them being friends for a very long time just like Steve and I were.


	22. Chapter 22

Brianna's POV

After school, I went to Uncle Darry's with Emma. he had told me that I could invite her as long as it was okay with daddy and her parents.

"Why don't you show Emma your room?" Uncle Darry said after we walked into the house. "I'll make lunch."

"Your room?" Emma asked.

"We lived here until we moved into the apartment," I told her as I led her to my old room. Uncle Darry had moved the book shelf from the living room into there, but nothing else had changed. The few toys I had there were still in the laundry basket where I had put them.

"It's small," she said, looking around.

"It used to be daddy and Uncle Darry's room when they were little," I said, remembering that daddy had told me that. "Uncle Pony stayed across the hall."

Emma nodded and walked to the toys. "These look old."

"They belonged to daddy and my uncles."

Emma smiled as she took out a box of little green army men. She lined them up on the floor as I sat down across from her. She looked at me. "My cousin and me play with these at his house. Well, he plays with them, I watch."

"You're playing with them now," I said.

"He says I can't because I'm a girl," Emma replied.

"That's stupid."

"Some people believe that girls and boys should only play with certain things, Brianna," Uncle Darry said from the doorway.

"How come?" Emma asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "Brianna's spent a lot of time playing with the toys I grew up with that she wasn't really around a lot of the girl stuff. No one told her she couldn't play with army men or cars."

"These were yours, right Uncle Darry?" I asked pointing to the army men.

"That's right, I used to play with them for hours," he said, grinning as he picked one up. "Ponyboy chewed on this one when he was teething, mom had a hard time getting it away from him."

Emma and I giggled.

"I miss Uncle Pony."

"I miss him, too, Brianna," Uncle Darry told me. "Maybe after lunch we can call him."

"Is lunch ready?" I asked.

Uncle Darry nodded and we went to the kitchen to eat.

"Emma, how do you like school?" Uncle Darry asked. "I know Brianna enjoys it."

"It's fun," Emma whispered and Uncle Darry smiled. "I like it when we get to listen to stories."

I finished eating my hot dog and looked at Uncle Darry. I wanted to talk to Uncle Ponyboy and tell him about the Valentine's Day party my class was going to have in a few days.

"Keep in mind, he might not be at his dorm," Darry told me as he picked up the phone. "You might have to see if your dad will call him tonight if he doesn't answer now."

"Okay," I said, watching as Uncle Darry waited for Uncle Ponyboy to answer.

Ponyboy's POV

I had just walked into my dorm room when I heard the phone ring.

"Hello?" I answered, tossing my jacket on the bed.

"Ponyboy, I wasn't sure if you'd be there," Darry said on the other end.

"I just walked in the door," I told him.

"I have someone here who wants to talk to you," he continued and I smiled. I didn't have to be home to know that Brianna was probably hopping up and down next to him. I could even see her smile as I waited for Darry to hand her the phone.

"Uncle Pony?" Brianna asked.

"Hi, sweetie," I said. "How was school?"

"Fun. Guess what?" She asked and I could tell that she was excited.

"What?" I asked, trying to match her excitement.

"We're having a Valentine's day party in my class this week. I get to make Valentines. And daddy said we can make cupcakes to bring, too," Brianna told me.

"That sounds like fun," I said. "You don't have any boyfriends in your class, do you?"

"No," Brianna giggled. "Emma's here. Uncle Darry said he'd take us to the park."

"I'll bet your going to go to the slide first," I said. I had taken her to the park enough times to know that the slide was her favorite.

Brianna giggled again and I could hear Darry whisper that it was time to end the call. He knew I had other classes in the afternoon and probably thought I wanted to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

"Uncle Darry says I need to hang up," Brianna told me and I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"We'll talk on Sunday," I reminded her. "I'll look forward to hearing about your Valentine's day party."

"Bye, I love you," she said.

"Love you, too, Brianna," I replied as I hung up.

Darry's POV

"I don't like saying good-bye," Brianna said after I hung up the phone for her.

"No one likes saying good-bye," I told her. "But you'll talk to him again on Sunday."

"That's a long time from now!" Brianna replied and I chuckled. Sometimes I forgot that time doesn't move as fast for kids as it does for me. To me, Sunday was going to arrive before I knew it. But to her, Sunday seemed to be far away. It was almost like explaining to her when Christmas was. Every day after Thanksgiving, she asked if Santa was coming, and Soda and I would have to tell her how many sleeps she had left until Santa arrived.

"Are you ready to go play at the park?" I asked. I noticed that Emma was playing with her ponytail. "I think Emma's ready."

Emma nodded and gave me a shy smile.

"I'll race you!" Brianna yelled, already running out the front door.

"Only to the corner!" I yelled back as I watched Emma run after her. Neither girl was allowed to cross the street alone, yet. As I walked behind them, I could hear them giggling. It was nice to have Brianna and her little friend come over.

"Uncle Darry, you're slow," Brianna called from the corner.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

"We'll see about that," I replied as I ran up to her and lifted her onto my shoulders. I then took Emma's hand so we could cross the street before I ran across the vacant lot with Brianna laughing and Emma skipping behind us. Both girls seemed to be having fun and we weren't even at the park yet.


End file.
